


The Story So Far

by learn to fly (myforestlove)



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, WARNING: story is not told from Quinn or Rachel's POVs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-13 07:36:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 56,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10509264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myforestlove/pseuds/learn%20to%20fly
Summary: Rachel's in New York and getting engaged to Jesse St. James. Quinn's in London living with her girlfriend. The narrative seems to be working against them.This is the story of how they got it right, from the point of view of their family, friends, and even their fans.





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> 1) a WARNING: as stated in the summary, this story is told from the point of view of characters *other than* Quinn and Rachel. So, bear that in mind before starting with this story.
> 
> 2) I apologize in advance to: Jesse St. James, football fans, Broadway fans, lovers of literature (particularly of Dickens and Austen), Tumblr users, and the people who go on chat boards.
> 
> 3) A couple of people have pointed out similarities to a certain ship involving real people. I must admit that I had no idea about that ship during its "heyday". So any references/parallels to that ship is purely accidental. (Sorry, I guess?)
> 
> 4) Just to add to that, the premise of this story has been in my head for years, in several incarnations involving several different ships. None of them ever felt right until Faberry, whose projected future -- at least if you go off season 3 -- is practically begging for this kind of story. Speaking of, this story is only canon up until S3. For the rest of the seasons, I just picked out the things I liked or those that are useful to this story. :)

**Jesse**

He looked around the living room of his and Rachel’s apartment, where about twenty people were making small talk with each other. It was a tight fit, with his friends, Rachel’s friends, and the joint friends they’d accumulated over the two years they’d been together.

They were celebrating a couple of things. First was Rachel taking over the workshop for _Clueless the Musical_ , where she would be playing Cher Horowitz. The production had high hopes that the musical would finally be given the green light for at least an Off-Broadway staging, and Rachel would hopefully be originating the lead role. Second, and this one Jesse was very excited about, workshop would finally be starting in a new musical that he was directing. It was going to be his first foray into directing and he was determined to excel at it.

He looked over at Rachel, who was talking animatedly to one of their castmates from _The Inner Life of Miss Havisham_ , the musical where they’d crossed paths again more than two years ago. Rachel had won a Best Featured Actress _Tony_ for her role as Estella in that musical. Jesse was very happy for her, although he couldn’t help his chagrin at being snubbed for the Best Featured Actor award when he’d been playing opposite her as Pip, the _main character_ in the original novel.

Jesse shook himself. It was no matter. That snub had been a year ago, both he and Rachel had taken on other projects since then, and now he was celebrating the start of a promising new project that he was certain would finally gain him the recognition he deserved.

Rachel had been hesitant to host a party simply because they would be doing new shows, but he’d appealed to Rachel’s love for recognition and was eventually able to convince her. There was another reason he wanted to have a celebration of course.

Jesse fumbled with the box that had been weighing heavily in his pocket and thought about what he was going to do. He was not nervous, no. Jesse St. James did not get nervous. He was almost very certain of Rachel’s answer, but he was anxious to finally get started.

He walked to the middle of the room and cleared his throat. A few of his closest friends, who were in on his plan, started taking out their phones to record videos.

“Everyone, may I have your attention please?” he said loudly, then waited a few minutes for the room’s occupants to focus their attention on him.

Rachel was looking at him questioningly. He winked at her. She hadn’t known that he was going to make a speech.

“I just want to say thank you all for coming here,” Jesse began. “For helping us celebrate our new projects. Rachel will be taking over the workshop for _Clueless_ as the main character, and I will be starting workshop in a new show. I can’t tell you what it’s called, it’s all very hush-hush at this point,” he added as an aside, winking and speaking directly to one of the phone cameras pointed at him.

“It is a night of new beginnings,” he continued. “For both myself and Rachel,” he looked at his girlfriend then. She was smiling curiously at him. “It brings me back to the day I met her again, after years of losing touch, at our first day of rehearsal for _Havisham_. In honor of that day, and of how that musical brought us back to each other’s lives, Rachel, this is for you….”

Jesse moved to stand in front of Rachel and began to sing a song he’d sung day in and day out to her, as Pip to Estella, over the course of their first year together. It was a song about second chances and new beginnings, which fit them perfectly. He thought his and Rachel’s characters perfectly mirrored their real-life love story, having met young, losing touch, and meeting again to rekindle an epic romance.

When he finished singing, he directed his attention to Rachel, who was smiling now but still looked confused. Jesse took a deep breath, feeling the gravity of what he was about to do settle over him. He forgot his words for a moment -- maybe he _was_ a little bit nervous -- but only for a moment, and then as always, he found his voice.

“Rachel. I meant it when I said that fate brought both of us to _Havisham_ , not only because it opened doors for our careers, but more because it brought us back together. We met again when ‘we were surer of ourselves, of our hearts and our minds’,” he quoted from the musical.

“There is no one else that I would have chosen as the Estella to my Philip,” he used the character’s given name because the nickname sounded rather unelegant. “We’ve made such beautiful music together as two destined characters on stage. I think that we can make even more beautiful music off the stage, as two people who were always meant to be together.

“What I’m trying to say is,” he paused as he got on one knee and pulled out the little box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a lovely diamond ring. “Rachel Berry. My lovely star, the music in my life. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Rachel just stared at him in shock, smiled plastered to her face.

“Honey?” Jesse prodded after a moment when Rachel was still not saying anything.

Finally, she brought her hands to her mouth and started nodding. Jesse grinned happily, immediately standing up to slide his ring into Rachel’s finger. They kissed to the sound of loud cheers from everyone in the room. Jesse looked for one of his friends who were taking a video, looked into the camera, and shouted, “We’re engaged!”

He turned back to Rachel and looked into her big brown eyes, which were shining at him. He bent down and gave her a longer kiss this time, letting the cheers around them wash over him.

Much later, when everyone else had gone home after celebrating their engagement well past midnight, Jesse and Rachel finally retired to their bedroom. He was eager to start their own private celebration, but she was glued to her phone.

“Honey, what’s on that phone that’s even more interesting than your husband-to-be?”

Rachel gave him a smile. “I’m just sharing the news,” she replied quietly.

Her phone rang loudly in the silence that followed, and she excused herself to the bathroom. He let her be, understanding the need to share their news with everyone in excitement.

Rachel emerged from the bathroom after several minutes.

“Who was that?” he asked genially, wondering which one of her friends would still be awake at the late hour.

“That was Quinn,” she replied with a tired smile. “It’s just past six AM in London. She just read my message from a few hours ago.”

“Ah….”

Jesse knew that Rachel had kept up with Quinn Fabray since college, even when the other woman had moved to San Francisco then traveled all over Europe for one project or another. That friendship would have surprised him, but _Santana Lopez_ had already been reintroduced to him as one of Rachel’s friends by the time that he had learned that she and _Quinn Fabray_ emailed and even Skype-called each other every now and then. After the shock of Santana Lopez, Rachel and Quinn Fabray had almost made sense to him.

But it wasn’t a night to contemplate about Rachel’s friendships. It was a night to celebrate _their_ \-- his and Rachel’s -- relationship. Jesse patted the bed next to him, sending Rachel an inviting grin as he waggled his eyebrows.

Rachel gave him an apologetic smile. “Rain check, honey?” she asked gently. “I know we have a lot to celebrate,” at this, she looked down at the ring on her finger, “but we had such a long day and I think I’m milliseconds away from simply collapsing on my feet.”

He was tired too, so he acquiesced with only a little amount of disappointment.

“Whatever my star wants,” he said grandly, gesturing for Rachel to come to him.

She gratefully climbed into bed, curling against him as he slid down to a more comfortable position. He gently put his arm around her, drifting off to sleep with dreams of musical notes and Rachel.

 

* * *

 

**Kaz**

She woke up disoriented, noticing that the space next to her is empty. The clock on the nightstand said it was only a few minutes past six. She frowned in confusion. She always woke up at around six AM without an alarm -- years and years of early training practices had made sure of that -- but her girlfriend usually woke up much later, and always with the need of a very noisy alarm clock.

She climbed out of bed and padded softly out of the bedroom, pausing at the door as she looked across the living room into the dining room, where Quinn was standing, back to her and hunched over one of the cupboard counters. She was talking to someone on her phone, her voice soft and sleepy. Kaz stilled with the feeling that she was interrupting an intimate moment.

“I’m happy for you,” Quinn was saying. A few seconds, then, “This is… he’s good for you. I think you’re good together. I’m really happy for you.” A beat, then, “Of course.” Then, “Keep me posted, okay?” Then, “Yeah, you too.” Then, “Goodnight.”

Quinn hung up. Her shoulders seemed to sag lower, and she stood there for several moments, head down, until Kaz decided to make her presence known.

“Who was that,” she asked, walking towards Quinn.

Quinn spun around, wearing a huge smile that was in direct contrast of her stance from just a moment ago.

“Hi,” she greeted brightly. “That was a friend from back home. She just got engaged.”

Kaz started to smile herself. “Oh, who?”

“What?”

“Who’s your friend that got engaged?”

“Oh, well….”

“Q,” she said with fond exasperation. “I do know the names of your American friends,” she reminded her.

Quinn never said the names of her friends from back in the USA when talking about them, only referring to all of them as “a friend from back home”, always assuming that Kaz didn’t care to know who had done this thing or that.

Usually, she was right. Most of Quinn’s friends worked in the entertainment business, and while Kaz loved music and enjoyed the occasional movie and TV show, she wasn’t really interested in the day-to-day life of the people making them. But this was an _engagement_. It was a big deal, and Kaz was curious.

“It’s Rachel. You remember--?”

“Of course I remember _Rachel_ ,” Kaz said, suppressing an eyeroll. “She’s only one of your best friends.”

She remembered Quinn flying to New York two years ago for an overnight visit just to watch a Broadway show that Rachel was on. A year later, Quinn had excitedly informed her that Rachel had won the Broadway award for that same show.

She smiled at Quinn, “That’s good news.”

Quinn smiled back at her, though there was an oddness to Quinn’s smile that she couldn’t quite figure out. She didn’t know whether it’s good or bad.

“Right?” Kaz added belatedly.

Quinn suddenly closed the distance between them. She put her arms around Kaz, resting her head on Kaz’s shoulder.

Kaz stiffened, her mind going a mile a minute trying to figure out what was causing Quinn’s odd mood. She hoped that her friend’s engagement wasn’t making Quinn think of taking their own relationship to the next level.

Yes, they were already living together, but it was partly out of convenience. She did love sharing her space and waking up next to Quinn, but the decision to move in had also been because she was traveling half of the time and it was so much easier to return to Quinn’s flat, which was near her team’s training grounds, instead of her own rarely kept one.

And yes, they’d been dating for almost two years, but Kaz still had so much to do before she could even think of marriage. She had just helped England to a Silver in the World Cup a year ago, and they were already preparing for next year’s European Cup, where they would be the defending champions. And this year there was the title race with her club team for the domestic _and_ European league. Her focus right now was her career and she thought -- she _hoped_ \-- that Quinn understood that.

“What--?” she let out a squeak as she was released from the embrace.

Quinn looked at her with a radiant smile, so _beautiful_ against the morning sunlight streaming in her hair that Kaz almost forgot all her misgivings. A kiss, and Kaz forgot what she was trying to ask in the first place.

Quinn pulled back and said, “I’m so happy I have you.”

“Yeah?” Kaz said, confused but smiling.

Quinn answered with her own question. “How long do you have until you need to go to practice?” she asked, backing away slowly.

“Erm…” Kaz hedged, feeling off-kilter with the sudden change in topic. “An hour, bit more.”

“Well then, just sit tight,” Quinn guided Kaz to a chair, “and since I’m already up, I’ll make your breakfast!”

Kaz watched as Quinn busied herself around the kitchen. She decided to let the oddness of the last few minutes go. Quinn certainly had her moments, but right now she was giving Kaz another kiss as she handed her a cup of tea before starting on Kaz’s trainer-approved breakfast.

Kaz smiled to herself as she took in the scent of her Earl Grey -- with a pinch of lemon, just the way she liked it. Her girlfriend was pretty amazing.

 

* * *

 

**_A few headlines on celebrity news sites_ **

“Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Get Engaged”

“Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Engagement”

“Broadway’s Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Get Engaged”

“Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James: 5 Things You Need to Know”

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James’_ **

**Guest 1:** stberry is engaged!  _[link to news article]_

 **Guest 2:** Ahhhh! Finally! I’m so happy for them.

 **Guest 3:** kasdfareunksjoiejskfjas!!!

 **Guest 1:** they’re so perfect together.  *heart eyes*

 **Guest 4:** Yes, StBerry! I hope the delusional shippers from Tumblr will finally shut up.

 **Guest 2:** I’m pretty sure those are just a crack-ship thing.

 **Guest 4:** They’re annoying and disrespectful to the people they’re shipping. It’s like they’ve forgotten they’re real people with real feelings. There’s this user who keep posting about how she’s dating that actress friend of hers from high school when they’ve never even been in the same city for more than a few days, let alone the same room.

 **Guest 2:** Why are you following them, then?

 **Guest 4:** I’m not following them. I don’t even have an account. And why are you here when you’re obviously one of those delusional shippers. Go to the Rachel Berry chat instead, they’re as delusional there as the Tumblr shippers.

 **Guest 2:** I don’t “ship” Rachel with anyone. I’m a fan of her. I’m happy that she’s engaged to someone she loves and has been dating for a few years. It’s funny that they’re shipping her with a lot of other people, but everyone knows none of those are real. I don’t take it seriously. You shouldn’t either. :|

 **Guest 5:** Yay StBerry!

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** Rachel and Jesse just got engaged :) _[link to news article]_

 **Guest 2:** Such a beautiful and talented couple. So happy for them. :)

 **Guest 3:** yay, stberry!

 **Guest 4:** but- but- berryjam! :(

 **Guest 5:** No way, berryfield forever!

 **Guest 6:** sunberry is the way to go man. they were in les mis together, and they’re actually good friends

 **Guest 5:** Rachel’s not even gay. You people just want “eposette”, and you somehow think that it should translate to real life.

 **Guest 6:** are you even reading what you’re saying? you’re shipping berryfield because of havisham. they’re not real either. you just have a problem with sunberry because they’re both women, when in reality they would make more sense because they’re actually friends.

 **Guest 7:** Jfc, none of those make sense. Rachel’s with Jesse. Can this thread not post anything about them without devolving into a discussion on who else she should be with?

 

* * *

 

 

* * *

 

 

* * *

 


	2. Interlude: Shelby

She watches Rachel with Beth as the former explains the birthday present she brought -- a puzzle game, to Beth’s delight. Rachel is  _ so good _ with Beth and it breaks Shelby’s heart because they will never be sisters -- not really.

Done with her explanation, Rachel leaves Beth to her game and approaches Shelby with a smile.

“Thank you,” Shelby begins. “She loves it.”

“She’s a bright kid,” Rachel replies.

Shelby looks over at her, eyes straying to the sparkling diamond on her finger. Rachel called earlier that week, informing Shelby that she’ll be in Lima for the next few days. She asked if she could visit Beth to bring her present since she wasn’t able to attend Beth’s birthday. She added, as though in afterthought, that she and Jesse got engaged.

Shelby immediately agreed to a visit, just like all the other times before. Her daughter, Beth, has come to love Rachel like an aunt, and Shelby would never turn down a visit from the daughter she gave birth to.

Shelby contacted Rachel once before, back when she was still at NYADA, asking for another chance at a relationship. Not as mother and daughter, but as two people who’ll always be connected by blood and, she hoped, connected by mutual respect if not by affection.

Rachel didn’t respond then, and Shelby couldn’t blame her. But one day, just a month shy of Beth’s sixth birthday, Rachel emailed with a request -- or maybe an offer -- of a meeting. She asked about Beth then and Shelby, maybe thoughtlessly, invited Rachel to her daughter’s birthday. Rachel happily accepted, and since then she has been sending presents to Beth on birthdays and even Christmases.

Shelby focuses on the engagement ring and asks, “How are your wedding plans coming along?”

“Well, it’s only been a week,” Rachel points out, “so there are no plans as of the moment. I’m currently taking advantage of the free week I have to rest and see my fathers, and Jesse is preparing for a project that he’s wanted to focus on for a while. When I go back to New York, we’ll start with the wedding planning. Although, I think Jesse’s already started on a few things. I don’t know how he finds the time, to be honest.”

Rachel doesn’t sound too excited about Jesse’s plans, and Shelby thinks she can relate. Jesse is like a dog with a bone when it comes to organizing anything.

“How is Jesse?” Shelby asks of her former student.

“He’s good,” Rachel replies with a small smile. “He’s actually planning to direct a musical composed by a friend of his. It’s still in workshop for now, but he’ll probably manage to have it staged in a year or two. You know how he is,” she adds with an eyeroll.

“Will you be in it?”

Rachel snorts. “Oh, no no,” she denies quickly. “I just took over workshop for  _ Clueless _ . It’s been in workshop for several years, but I think it’ll finally be given the go signal to be staged next year.”

“That sounds great,” Shelby says, smiling.

“Indeed it does,” Rachel agrees. “I’ve always loved the movie. We’re aiming for an Off-Broadway staging early next year, and hopefully we can manage Broadway soon after.”

Shelby nods, and Rachel clears her throat awkwardly. Rachel’s career is one of the things they can’t seem to talk about without getting uncomfortable. Shelby’s not sure if it’s because of her own failed career, or because she can’t really take motherly pride in Rachel’s flourishing one.

Rachel directs her attention to Beth, whose sole focus was the puzzle in front of her. A gentle smile starts to bloom on Rachel’s face.

“She looks so much like Quinn sometimes,” she says softly. “Mostly when she smiles this really big smile. But also like this, when she’s concentrating on something. It’s the set of her jaw, when she’s all focused and… yeah….”

Shelby looks over at Rachel when she trails off. There’s a different quality to her smile, in her tone of voice, something Shelby can’t quite put her finger on.

She doesn’t mention that Beth reminds her most of Quinn when she’s really down and sad. She doesn’t think that Rachel would like to hear that, to realize that most of Shelby’s interactions with Quinn happened when the blonde girl was struggling.

Shelby also contacted Quinn before, on the year she tried to contact Rachel and got no response. The silence from Rachel hurt, and Shelby realized she didn’t want Quinn to experience the same thing she did with her daughter. So she got Quinn’s email from Noah Puckerman, offered her congratulations for having gotten into Yale, and extended an invitation to visit Beth. 

Unlike Rachel, Quinn replied, but her messages was: 

_ “Shelby, thank you so much for your offer. There’s nothing I want more than to see Beth, but I don’t think I can accept right now. I think I still need some time.” _

Years later, during one of her visits, Rachel sadly informed Shelby that, “It hurts her to see Beth and know she’s not really hers.”

Rachel didn’t give any further explanation, but Shelby didn’t need more than that. After all, she understood, intimately, what it was like to see the child she bore and know she doesn’t belong to her. Shelby already gave Quinn the time she asked for, even before Rachel asked it of her.

Now, Rachel and Quinn. Their friendship has always seemed  _ different _ to Shelby. Or maybe it’s just her, because one is the mother of the daughter she’s raising, while the other is the daughter she gave birth to. Whatever it is, Rachel seemed so protective of Quinn, and Shelby knows better than to bring up reminders of how the blonde girl used to be so sad.

“How’s Quinn?” she asks instead, genuinely curious.

Rachel’s smile widens. “She’s good,” she replies in a gentle voice. “She’s living in London, I’m not sure if you’ve heard? She was doing a couple of stage plays there -- Shakespeare. And last year she did a TV miniseries about  _ Alice in Wonderland _ \-- that’s her favorite book, by the way. It aired earlier this year, actually,” she informs Shelby enthusiastically. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t on any easily accessible channel or streaming service. I’ve had to-- well…”

Rachel trails off vaguely. 

“Wasn’t she in Europe doing a travel photography thing?” Shelby asks. Noah told her that.

“That was two years ago,” Rachel says. “Right now she’s doing a radio show and reading for some audiobooks--”

“Really?” Shelby asks, surprised. “That seems like an odd choice.”

Radio shows and audiobook readings aren’t something she’d expect for someone as pretty as Quinn to do.

“She has a beautiful voice,” Rachel points out, sounding almost awed, “both speaking  _ and _ singing. But, she’s actually doing those because they’re a lot less demanding of her time. She wants to focus on a screenplay she’s working on,” Rachel explains. “It’s based on a novel she was writing, but she decided it’s better as a movie. She and her collaborators want to start filming early next year, so she wants to finish writing the story as soon as possible so they can already start with pre-production.”

“Sounds like she’s done --  _ doing _ \-- a lot of things,” Shelby says, impressed.

“She’s a Renaissance woman!” Rachel exclaims enthusiastically.

Shelby smiles. “She’s a bright kid,” she says softly.

She realizes, for the first time, that she has not only given Beth a good life, but that she has also made sure that Quinn Fabray gets to follow her dreams.

Shelby exchanges a proud smile with Rachel, then turns back to her daughter, Beth, whose countenance begins to transform from focused to excited when she finally solves the puzzle in front of her.


	3. Transition

  ****

 

* * *

 

**Kaz**

She paused at the doorway of their bedroom and turned back to look at her girlfriend, who was still wrapped up in the sheets but watching her with a small smile. She was in a better mood than she’d been last night, when she had picked a fight over how Kaz couldn’t go with her to a museum exhibit she’d been wanting to see because Kaz would be going away on National Team camp.

Quinn had _known_ the schedule of her camps, and when Kaz had pointed this out to her, she had seemed to let go of her irritation quickly and apologized for her outburst.

The outburst itself was surprise to Kaz. One of the things she liked about Quinn was that she never got upset with Kaz for always being away. Kaz didn’t know why Quinn suddenly got clingy yesterday. Kaz would be traveling today, and she wanted to make sure that Quinn was back to her normal self.

“Q,” she said softly, “I’m off to camp today.”

Quinn grinned at her as she put on her glasses and slowly got out of bed. “I remember.”

“Right. I just want to make sure you’re still fine with that.”

“Super fine,” Quinn replies in her raspy, sleep-soaked voice. She walked up to Kaz and ran her hands up and down her arms. “I’m sorry I got pissed last night. Off, pissed off,” she added before Kaz could correct her. “I just hate it when you’re not here.”

Kaz’s smile was tinged with some confusion. It was a sweet sentiment, but this was the first time that Quinn had expressed it. She hoped Quinn didn’t really miss her too much. She really enjoyed National Team camps, and it made her feel guilty knowing that Quinn would be missing her.

“Now,” Quinn was saying, “why don’t you go take your shower, and I’ll pack everything for you.”

“I’ve already packed yesterday,” she huffed as Quinn guided her to the bath. She was a pro at packing. She’d lived half her adult life on a suitcase, after all.

“I know how you tend to forget things, and you haven’t even prepared your drinks yet,” she pointed out.

Kaz grimaced at the reminder. She hated those vegetable juices but it was recommended -- no, ordered -- by their trainer and Quinn took way too much enjoyment in making and _not drinking_ them.

Quinn deposited her in the bath, closed the door on her, then no doubt went off to prepare those drinks, humming the whole time. Kaz smiled at her girlfriend’s mood. Quinn had been rather morose lately, and she’d missed her playful side.

Kaz was looking forward to seeing her teammates again, particularly Jemma, a goalkeeper and an old friend from her Youth days, who had finally gotten her first senior team call-up. She was going to really enjoy this camp, and she was happy that Quinn was over the issue of her prolonged absence.

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘England Women’s National Team’_ **

**Guest 1:** Karen Darvill and Jemma Jones getting cozy: _[attached photo of said players bundling up against the cold under a heavy blanket, staring up at the camera, half their faces hidden behind the blanket]_

**Guest 2:** lol. i ship it.

**Guest 3:** Isn’t Kaz dating that American actress? Quinn Fabray?

**Guest 4:** Super hot blonde Quinn Fabray? If Darvill’s not dating her anymore, can I?

**Guest 2:** haha. get in line, mate.

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She picked at an imaginary dirt on her desk as Quinn’s voice came through the speakers of her laptop.

“Santana, you already know what I think,” Quinn was saying exasperatedly. “We’ve been talking in circles for the past hour.”

“I know! I know, Q. And I know what we have to do. It’s just, it’s hard....” She trailed off and glanced up at her computer screen, where Quinn was now giving her a sympathetic look. “I just wish she’d gotten this offer next year. Or that I can move to Chicago right now without breaking any contracts.”

Santana had just graduated college earlier that year, seven years after high school. Maybe it was later than her parents had hoped for her, but at least she’d graduated before Quinn, who’d deferred her last year of college to film a movie. Quinn had taken on several projects after that and until now she still hadn’t graduated, a fact that Santana could finally tease Quinn about once _she_ had graduated.

Santana had spent a few years trying out different things, had even been worked as manager for Brittany and Rachel early in their careers, all the while coming to the slow realization that what she really wanted to do was become a lawyer. Once she’d been certain of that, she’d enrolled into college for a pre-law degree.

She had managed to avoid student loans because of her own savings and her parents’ and even Brittany’s help. She had also gotten a big law firm to sponsor part of her tuition for her second to last years of college. In exchange for that, she was required to work for the law firm for a couple of years, with an option to take the Bar exam while under their employment.

Santana hadn’t taken the Bar exam yet and the law firm had a branch in Chicago, so she should have been able to move without any problems, but the branch in New York was currently handling several big cases and her bosses absolutely refused to let her transfer to Chicago until spring of next year. Santana’s choices were either to wait for a few months before following Brittany to Chicago, or stubbornly follow her wife right away and break a binding agreement with a law firm. Santana hated it.

“San,” Quinn began gently, “It’s less than a year. Six months of long distance--”

“The last time we tried to do long distance, we broke up,” Santana pointed out bitterly.

“That was _years_ ago. You were just getting off high school and both uncertain of your futures. You’re _married_ now, and--”

“Funny you should mention us being married,” Santana said darkly. “You didn’t even come to our wedding.”

“Santana,” Quinn said firmly, but she softened immediately. “You’ll never let me live that down, will you?”

“Sorry,” Santana replied, contrite.

Quinn had apologized for that many times, and Santana understood the reasons why Quinn couldn’t come. One of them was Quinn’s crisis about her sexuality, which Santana had seen coming a mile away ever since their one night together during their teachers’ failed wedding. She and Brittany had been broken up then, and Santana had been so _lost_ about it that she’d gone and slept with her best friend.

“I just hate thinking that we won’t be living in the same place for months,” she admitted to Quinn. “How can you stand it Q? How do you deal with your girlfriend being away for half the time you’re together?”

Quinn shrugged. “It’s different.”

“How?”

“Well, for one, we’re not in a codependent relationship.”

“Very funny,” Santana said humorlessly. “Ha, ha. I think those English people are stunting your sense of humor. Not that you had any to begin with.”

Quinn raised an eyebrow, but she only said, “Kaz loves playing, even if that means being away for half the year. And I like the occasional space. I know it’s different for you and Brit,” Quinn admitted. “You two spent practically every minute of your formative years together. But it’s just six months, San. That’s--” she snapped her fingers, “like blinking.”

Santana rolled her eyes. It _wasn’t_ like blinking. Quinn just didn’t get it because she wasn’t as attached to her girlfriend as Santana was to her wife. Still, Santana knew that she didn’t really have a choice. There was absolutely no way she could break a contract with a law firm and come out unscathed.

Silence fell between them for a moment until Quinn broke it with a tentative question.

“How… what are… how’s the planning going for, uh, for Rachelswedding?”

She’d said the last two words really fast, as though making sure that they went through her body for the least amount of time possible. Quinn had been _weird_ about Rachel -- _again_ \-- ever since she’d heard of the engagement.

“Aren’t you and Rachel always talking to each other?” Santana asked.

Santana and Quinn caught each other up on the important events of their lives, but Rachel and Quinn talked at least a couple of times every month. Santana suspected that they knew more about each other’s life than any of their friends did, mutual or otherwise.

That was with the exception of their love lives. The two of them had always seemed to avoid the topic of each other’s romantic relationships like the plague. At least that was what Santana had gathered from separate conversations with either of them.

“We’re not always--” Quinn began to protest, but then let go. “We haven’t really talked about… about it.”

“Well, they already have a date,” Santana informed her. It had taken them a while because Rachel had been rather indecisive about it. “And I think they’ve agreed on a venue already? I don’t really know much. Kurt’s the one helping her with the planning.”

Brit and Santana lived in Brooklyn while Rachel and Kurt were in Manhattan. With all of them busy with their jobs, they only got to meet and catch up about once in a month, if at all.

“Right, right,” Quinn said vaguely, looking constipated. “Of course.” She glanced away from the camera, then said, “Uh, I have to go, San, I need to work on my screenplay. Bye.”

Santana was left staring at a dark screen, not even able to say a word of goodbye. She shook her head in dismay. Santana was beginning to realize that while Quinn had moved on with other women, she’d never actually gotten over Rachel Berry

Suddenly, the prospect of a long distance relationship with Brit didn’t sound so dire. At least they were married.

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** Interview with Rachel about Clueless: _[link to a video interview]_.

**Guest 2:** “the stage will always be my first love” -- there are actual stars in her eyes when she’s saying that. so cute :')

**Guest 3:** I can’t wait for her to take the stage again. I miss her. Guest spots on TV shows aren’t quite the same.

**Guest 4:** She did that Beauty  & the Beast 25th Anniversary concert though.

**Guest 3:** Still not the same as an actual musical. I miss her singing *and* acting.

**Guest 5:** she sang *and* acted in DestiNY

**Guest 3:** You know what I mean. I miss her doing a musical.

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James’_ **

**Guest 1:** Rachel has a new interview: _[link to a video interview]_. It’s very brief, but she talks about hers and Jesse’s engagement at about the 6th minute mark.

**Guest 2:** is it just me, or does it seems like rachel’s not too excited about the wedding?

**Guest 3:** What makes you say that?

**Guest 2:** uh, because she looks really uncomfortable when the interviewer asked and she just deflected and gave a non-answer? and she hasn’t posted anything about it.

**Guest 4:** that doesnt mean shes not excted about it!

**Guest 3:** Maybe she just doesn’t want it to overshadow her work. People always fixate on a woman’s dating life more than a man’s. I can’t blame her for not being comfortable talking about it. And just because it isn’t on social media doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

**Guest 2:** i hope you’re right.

**Guest 4:** stp shitstirring! no one want to hear ur opnions!

 

* * *

 

**Kaz**

She entered the flat quietly. It was late. They had played a home game earlier that night. She’d gone for drinks with some players after the match, from both her own and the opposing team. She’d only had one beer -- they were still in season after all -- but she’d spent most of the night catching up with Jemma. She was an old friend from the Youth days who had signed on to another London club this year after playing overseas for most of her professional career. They hadn’t noticed how late it was until the barkeep had called closing time and they’d realized their teammates had left them.

Kaz tiptoed silently through the flat, thinking that Quinn was already asleep, but she’d only gone a few steps in when she caught sight of her girlfriend slumped on the dining table. There were two bottles of vodka in front of her, one looked like it was already empty. It seemed like Quinn had been doing her own drinking, and not in moderation.

Kaz dropped her bag by the door and abandoned any attempts at being quiet, but she still approached Quinn slowly.

“Q?”

Quinn looked up jerkily, saw her, and yelled, “Kazza!”

Kaz’s eyes widened. Quinn never called her that. She also never got this drunk, at least that Kaz knew of.

Kaz ran a hand through Quinn’s hair when she reached her. Quinn stared up at her with unfocused eyes.

“‘Ey pretty momma,” Quinn says drunkenly.

Kaz chuckled. “God, you’re pissed.” Three sheets to the wind pissed.

Quinn shook her head with a whine. “’m pissed _off_. ‘M pissed off at ‘em.”

“Who?”

“Them! E’ryone. Just gon’ on with-- issa mistake! Se’s makin’ mistake….”

Quinn started sobbing. Kaz stared at her in alarm.

“Right,” Kaz came to a decision. “ _You_ are going to bed, lady. C’mon.”

Kaz scooped her girlfriend up and marched her to their bedroom. It was not an easy feat. They were about the same height but Quinn was letting Kaz carry her drunken weight. Kaz had gone against players much taller and heavier than Quinn, however, and eventually she got her to lie down on their bed. She moved to take Quinn’s clothes off, but Quinn swatted her hand and rolled away, mumbling something unintelligible.

Kaz thought she caught the words “baby” and “don’t wanna”, but she couldn’t really be sure. She had other pressing concerns at the moment. Quinn was still crying and Kaz didn’t know how to make her stop.

“Maybe you should take your contacts off?” Kaz said tentatively.

Quinn continued sobbing, face pressed to a pillow. Kaz tried to get her to roll on her back, but she remained unmoving.

Kaz sighed loudly. This was not what she’d expected to come home to. After a few more minutes of poking and prodding and sitting uselessly beside her sobbing girlfriend, Kaz gave up. She left Quinn to their room, choosing to sleep on the couch instead. Her athlete’s body was not looking forward to it.

Quinn had been very _unpredictable_ lately. They would need to talk soon.

 

* * *

 

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She half-listened to Rachel rambling excitedly about her current show as she perused the restaurant menu.

It had taken a while, but she and Rachel had become good friends who genuinely cared about each other’s well-being. Right now they were catching up over lunch after an invitation from Rachel that came almost out of the blue since they’d already met up a couple of weeks ago at Brittany’s farewell party. Santana suspected that Brit had asked Rachel to check up on her. One thing Santana had noticed after Brit had moved to another city was that she suddenly had time on her hands that she didn’t know what to do with, so she’d accepted Rachel’s invitation as a welcome distraction.

Presently, they gave their orders to the attendant who’d been waiting on them. When the waiter left, Rachel stopped talking about her musical and peered at Santana.

“So,” Rachel began delicately, “how are you doing at your job?”

Santana snorted. Rachel was still as _un_ subtle as ever. “What are you, my mother?” she said. “I know Brit asked you to distract me or whatever.”

Rachel frowned, opened her mouth, closed it again, then deflated. She looked determinedly at Santana. “I’ll have you know that I would still have invited you to lunch with or without Brittany’s request,” she said primly. Her voice softening, she added, “I know how it feels to miss someone you wish were at your side all the time.”

Santana raised an eyebrow suspiciously at Rachel, wondering how she would know how Santana felt when her fiance was right here in New York. Pursing her lips, Santana thought she might know who Rachel’s “someone” was anyway, but she decided not to comment on it.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” she said evenly. Not with anyone but Brit, the only one who would really understand how Santana felt.

“Okay,” Rachel said. She bit her lip, then asked, “Have you found a roommate yet?”

Santana and Brit had shared a two-bedroom apartment, with the second bedroom serving as Brit’s mini dance room. Now that Brit was in Chicago and they were paying for two apartments between them, Santana needed to find a roommate to lessen expenses.

“Not yet,” Santana replied, scowling slightly. She was not at all looking forward to sharing with a stranger. She waved her hand in dismissal of the topic, fearing that Rachel might suggest one of her theater friends for a roommate.

“How’s the wedding planning going?” Santana asked instead, eyeing the diamond ring on Rachel’s finger. “Decided on anything yet?” she asked, half-joking. Kurt had been complaining to her about how Rachel had been vacillating over every single detail. “I’m going to be bridesmaid, right?” Frankly, the fact that Rachel hadn’t asked her right away was kind of insulting.

“I haven’t thought about the entourage yet, Santana,” Rachel replied, her brows furrowing as she looked down at the table.

Santana didn’t know what was there to think about.

“And, well, it’s very difficult to plan anything with _Clueless_ taking up all of my time,” Rachel continued. “I’m at rehearsals all day, I can’t be expected to go around checking venues or _flower arrangements_ ,” she added testily.

Santana raised her hands in mock surrender, not wanting Rachel to go off on a rant. “Hey, I was just asking,” she said. “No need to sound so defensive,” she added under her breath.

Rachel narrowed her eyes at Santana but, thankfully, the waiter chose that moment to arrive with their orders. Not wanting to deal with an irritated Rachel Berry, and not really interested in her wedding plans anyway, Santana steered the conversation away from that topic.

They spent the rest of their meal talking proudly about Brittany’s newly-opened dance studio and Quinn’s movie that she wanted to film next year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize to fans of the England Women's National Team who comment on chat boards. I don't really know what goes on in those, so I'm just assuming things.


	4. Break

**Kaz**

She entered the flat wearily, depositing her bag on the couch on her way to the bedroom. She was tired and cold. They’d had to play a match through pouring rain and, worse still, they’d lost. At home. She just wanted to curl up under the covers and forget the day had ever happened.

Quinn was in bed, typing away at her laptop and not even noticing Kaz’s presence. The sight of her, so caught up in her world of fantasy and imagination, made Kaz even wearier. It was a part of Quinn that Kaz couldn’t really reach, and in the past that was something she’d taken as a matter of course.

She would never fully understand Quinn’s mind, the same way that Quinn could never really know her inner thoughts. That disconnect was something she’d accepted about their relationship from the very beginning. But lately, Quinn’s moods had been unpredictable. She was at times clingy and at others distant, at times distracted and at others focused to the exclusion of the rest of the world. Kaz couldn’t figure her out. She was tired of it.

“Q,” she called out.

Quinn looked up, frowned at the state Kaz was in, and slowly put her laptop away. “Hey. Bad game?”

“We lost,” Kaz replied, though she doubted that Quinn truly cared.

“I’m sorry,” Quinn said, approaching her slowly. She moved to take off Kaz’s shirt, no doubt to help her to the shower like she sometimes did, but Kaz backed away, crossing her arms.

“Kaz?” Quinn asked softly, confused. “Let me make you a bath.”

Kaz shook her head. “No. This isn’t working, Quinn.”

Quinn backed away. “What? Did your coach try a different formation again?”

“No, I don’t mean football. I meant _this_. Us.”

Quinn stood rigid. Her face suddenly took on a blank expression. “Pardon me?”

“We’re not working anymore,” Kaz said, her voice starting to catch. This was harder than she’d thought.

Quinn continued to look at her calmly. Kaz hated it.

“I don’t-- I don’t know what’s going on with you,” Kaz explained. “And you won’t even tell me. That night you got really pissed, you were crying so _hard_ , but you refuse to talk about it after. Until now I still don’t know what caused that.”

Quinn looked away from her then, but she remained silent.

“I mean, did something happen in the US?” Kaz prodded when it was clear that no explanation was forthcoming. “You just don’t seem to be _here_ anymore. You’re always at your computer, writing about your-- your--” _stupid_ , “--movie. You’re so focused on that, but that’s not even the problem. Something’s bothering you, and you won’t tell me what’s going on.”

Quinn looked back at her and finally spoke up, stiltedly. “That’s not--” she tried. Then, “I don’t--” then, “I’m just--”

But Quinn couldn’t say anything past that. She crossed her arms and looked away again, and that was when Kaz knew that they were really over.

Kaz stepped away tiredly. She would pack an overnight bag and crash at a teammate’s house for the night. She was halfway towards the closet when Quinn started talking.

“Was that all?” Quinn asked, and Kaz turned around to face her. “You don’t have another reason why you’re breaking up with me?”

“What are you talking about?” Kaz asked with a frown.

Quinn arched an eyebrow. She peered at Kaz for an uncomfortably long time, shook her head, then strode towards her bed and picked up her laptop.

“I’ll go to a hotel, I have to finish writing,” Quinn told Kaz. “You look really tired, you should stay here.”

“Quinn,” Kaz started, suddenly regretting the abrupt way she’d broken up with the other woman when Quinn still seemed concerned about her.

“I’m going to be at the studio the whole day tomorrow, you should start moving out then,” Quinn added with finality, and Kaz swallowed her apology.

In no time at all, Quinn had packed her laptop along with a few clothes and toiletries, and was at the door before Kaz could start processing what was happening.

“Q,” Kaz called out before she could go. “It’s raining,” she pointed out unnecessarily.

“Seems fitting, doesn’t it?” Quinn said flatly. She started to walk out, before turning back again. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too. I-- I hope we can be friends someday.”

Quinn gave a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yeah.” A pause, and then, “Kaz? I’ve been such a coward. Be braver.”

With that strange pronouncement, Quinn was out the door, leaving Kaz to an empty silence that was punctuated by the wind and rain at the windows.

Kaz took a deep breath, noticing that she’d been crying. She suddenly realized that throughout their conversation, _Quinn_ had not shed a single tear. She’d been calm, cold even. She hadn’t bothered to fight Kaz’s decision, hadn’t bothered to explain what was happening that had her so twisted up.

Shivering, Kaz took off her clothes and curled up on the bed, under sheets that still smelled of Quinn Fabray.

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She sat up straight as the video call finally connected and Quinn’s face appeared on the screen.

“Hey Q, I just read your message.” One day late, but Santana had been elbow-deep in a case. “You okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I just wanted to let you know.”

Santana raised an eyebrow. That seemed like such an unemotional statement about a breakup.

“What happened?” she asked. She’d seen the breakup coming, but she’d thought that Quinn would be the one to end it.

Quinn looked down. “I’ve just been--” she began, but quickly cut herself off. “She got tired of my shit, I guess,” she said, letting out a short humorless laugh.

Santana peered at Quinn’s face, wondering if she was sad about Karen Darvill or about Rachel. She didn’t seem particularly cut up over anything, but Quinn had mastered hiding her feelings in high school, and Santana knew she’d never forgotten that particular skill. Santana also knew that getting Quinn to talk about her feelings when she didn’t want to was an impossible feat.

“Are you-- who’s moving out of your apartment?” Santana asked instead.

“She’s moving out,” Quinn replied. “She has a lot of teammates living in the area and this flat’s under my name. But… I’ll be moving out soon as well. My radio show will finish in two weeks, and I’ve been thinking of going to Germany.”

Santana frowned. Quinn had a tendency to get away from a place after some emotional upheaval, but she’d also seemed to love London. She’d even broken up with her girlfriend before Karen Darvill because she’d wanted to stay in London and Camille Mansouri, the ex-girlfriend, hadn’t.

“What’s with Germany?”

“I want to learn German,” Quinn explained. “I’ve more or less learned French and Italian. Those are both Romance languages, I want to try and learn something in a different language family.”

Santana gaped at her. Quinn had a habit of latching onto projects instead of dealing with her problems, but this was, well--

“You really are nuts, Lucy Q,” she declared. “And what’s _in_ Germany? What are you going to do there other than ‘learn German'?”

“I was thinking of filming my movie in Frankfurt,” Quinn explained. “It’s much cheaper than doing it in London. And I met a couple of photographers there when I was visiting with Cami. They’re very willing to help me around the city and even with the movie.”

“Ah,” Santana said. Of course Quinn already had something planned. “You know, it’s almost Christmas. Do you have any plans to come back here for the holidays? Brit misses you.”

“Brit, right,” Quinn said with a smirk. “Rachel asked me the same thing, actually,” she answered, sounding almost shy.

So Quinn had talked to Rachel. Santana was relieved. They’d seemed to have stopped updating each other about their lives in the few weeks since Jesse had proposed to Rachel, but apparently they were over that. Santana had no illusions that they would talk about Quinn’s break up past the perfunctory “just so you know” statement, but she knew that if there was someone who could convince Quinn to come visit, it would be Rachel.

“What did you say?” Santana asked casually.

“I told her I’d think about it,” Quinn hedged.

“You should come,” Santana prodded. “Me and Brit are going back to Lima for Christmas this year, and I think Mercedes will too. Puck’s already planning to host a party. Rachel’s thinking of visiting for a few days too.”

Rachel wasn’t, but Santana knew that Rachel would go if Quinn was there.

“Or you can just come to New York or Chicago, whatever,” Santana amended, thinking that Quinn might not want to go back to the town she’d wanted so badly to escape. “Me and Brit can go back to Lima another time.”

A small smile slowly appeared on Quinn’s face. “Lima doesn’t sound so bad, actually,” she said. “My mom’s been on my case about going back for Christmas,” she admitted with an eyeroll. “And it’d be nice to catch up with everyone.” She suddenly got a faraway look on her face and after a moment, she added, “Maybe I’ll visit.”

“Good,” Santana said with a nod, hoping that Quinn would actually go through with it.

 

* * *

 

**Jesse**

He stared down at the script in his hands, envisioning the perfect stage directions for the scenes. Or at least he was trying to. For the past few minutes, he’d been listening to Rachel and Kurt’s conversation. He couldn’t help it, their loud voices carried from the living room through the open door of the bedroom, where Jesse had currently parked himself.

It was one of Rachel’s days off from rehearsals for _Clueless_. She and Kurt were supposed to be talking about her wedding dress, which Kurt would be designing, but they were obviously discussing something else.

“She’s a… a _bitch_ ,” Rachel was saying, rather vindictively. Jesse looked up from his script, curious. Rachel was never vindictive. “I want to… I want to go to England and kick her ass. And soccer’s a stupid game. I hope her team loses. I hope _our_ soccer team crushes hers.”

A chuckle. That was Kurt. “I thought Quinn said not to get mad at her? That the breakup was Quinn’s fault or something?”

“She broke up with Quinn because, what, Quinn couldn’t find the time for her? Quinn’s busy with a lot of projects! She’s been preparing for her movie. Her _own_ movie for which she’s writing the screenplay. That’s a big deal, and that… that _woman_ couldn’t understand it. She doesn’t… she doesn’t realize -- _she's_  never made time for Quinn when she’s off gallivanting around the world playing some stupid childish _game_. Then Quinn’s busy with a real, grown-up project and she suddenly gets _clingy_? She’s very inconsiderate of Quinn’s interests, and Quinn’s too kind to be mad at her.”

“Well,” Kurt started, sounding wary, when Rachel finished her rant, “at least they’re broken up, right? You never liked-- what was her name again?”

“It doesn’t deserve to be mentioned,” Rachel replied haughtily. “And I just… I don’t understand how anyone who’s ever lucky enough to have Quinn could ever let her go.”

“Finn did, because of _you_ , might I add,” Kurt pointed out in a wry voice.

“Finn’s not very smart,” Rachel said diplomatically.

Jesse snorted. He agreed with Rachel, but “idiot” would be a more accurate word to describe Finn Hudson. A great, big, bumbling idiot.

“Hey, that’s my stepbrother,” Kurt defended, though he was chuckling.

They seemed to quiet down, so Jesse returned to his script, but Rachel started speaking again.

“She wants to go to Germany.”

“Quinn?” Kurt asked. There was a pause, then he said, “What does she want to do there?”

“She’s thinking of filming her movie there,” Rachel replied. “She said it’s cheaper than London. But don’t you think she’d be better off filming here in the USA? The movie’s in English, it wouldn’t make sense to film it in a place where people speak another language.”

“Well,” Kurt began slowly, “have you told her what you think?”

“No,” Rachel replied quietly. After a moment, she added, “I asked her about coming back for the holidays though.”

Jesse dropped the script in his hands. For some reason, Quinn Fabray coming back to the US for an extended period of time was not settling right with him.

“What did she say?” came Kurt’s question.

Jesse stood up and strode towards the doorway, still out of sight from the living room’s occupants.

“She said she’ll think about it.”

Jesse grabbed the door handle and closed it quietly. He had a script that needed the perfect stage directions, and it required his full attention.

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘England Women’s National Team’_ **

**Guest 1:** whoa, I think Kaz and her actress girlfriend have really broken up. she’s talking about moving to a new place.

**Guest 2:** Maybe they’re moving to a new place together?

**Guest 3:** Yeah, but last week she tweeted those emo lyrics. And she posted that emo rainy day picture on Instagram.

**Guest 4:** aw, i hope thats not the case. I really lieked her gf. shes so pretty.

**Guest 3:** I hate to say it, but it seems to be the case.

**Guest 5:** Does this mean I can date Quinn Fabray now? :P

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** Anyone know what Quinn is up to lately? Someone on the soccer team chat says she and Karen Darvill might’ve broken up.

**Guest 2:** I think she’s still doing the radio show? Her last post was on Instagram of that book she’s reading the audio version for, but other than that and some retweets about other people’s projects, no social media updates for the last 2 months or so.

**Guest 1:** Yeah, but she doesn’t really update her social media much. What do you think about her and Darvill breaking up?

**Guest 2:** I don’t really care if they’d broken up or not. I’m just waiting for her to do another movie or TV show. It’s a shame she’s not in more well-known movies. People are missing out a lot not knowing about her.

**Guest 1:** She’s gay. I hate to say it, but she might never really get roles in more mainstream movies or shows.

**Guest 2:** Yeah, but she’s not *out* out. She’s not hiding it, but she’s never made an announcement either. She’s not famous enough for the tabloids to take an interest in her personal life. We only know she has a girlfriend because we follow her closely, and the heteros wouldn’t have figured it out if they did too.

Besides, if you’re as classically beautiful and feminine as Quinn, I doubt it matters if you’re gay? Especially since she’s very private. Maybe the movie/TV industry is still homophobic as fuck, but I think it has more to do with what she’d said about being really picky with her roles.

**Guest 1:** I suppose you’re right. And I know what you mean about the heteros! I have a friend who checked out all her projects after I recommended “Sum of Our Histories” to him, and he doesn’t believe that she’s gay. Do they need a signed written declaration or something?

**Guest 2:** Lol, I know…. In any case, I hope she turns up soon.


	5. Interlude: Hiram, Judy

**Hiram**

He looks up from his seat on the couch when his daughter descends the stairs, practically flitting on the way down. Her outfit suggests that she’s planning to go out for the day. He shares a curious glance with his husband, who is sitting on the armchair, then furrows his brows in confusion.

It’s Christmas day, and even though they’re Jewish they still came to have their own traditions for the date. It consists of a marathon of musical films throughout the day and a nice quiet dinner in the evening, with lots of singing thrown in for good measure.

Rachel hasn’t been home for the holidays for the past several years and both Hiram and Leroy were very excited to share their tradition with her again. They’ve even prepared the DVDs of the movies Rachel could choose from.

They’ve also been hoping to simply spend the day with their daughter. She arrived late yesterday, tired from traveling, and they weren’t really able to talk about much of anything then.

Hiram knows that Leroy wants to talk about Rachel’s new musical, _Clueless_. He and Leroy have been to one of the rehearsals when they visited Rachel in New York a week ago to celebrate her birthday and the last day of Hanukkah. Leroy hasn’t stopped talking about how perfect Rachel is since then. Hiram completely agrees with him.

Hiram himself wants to know more about Rachel’s wedding plans, even if he isn’t very excited about it. He’s never really warmed to Jesse St. James. The actor makes the grand romantic gestures that Rachel so rightfully deserves -- like the proposal in front of all of their friends -- but he talks so smugly about them that Hiram sometimes thinks that part of his reason for doing it is the drama.

Finn Hudson, at least, really seemed to mean his very few romantic gestures. Not that Hiram prefers Finn Hudson to Jesse St. James for his daughter. St. James rubs him the wrong way sometimes, but at least he will never hold Rachel back.

If Hiram were to have a say in who Rachel marries, he would choose neither Finn Hudson nor Jesse St. James. He’d pick Daniel Wright, Rachel’s boyfriend before St. James. The young graduate student was smart, polite, devoted, and sincere. He was sure of himself and very supportive of Rachel’s career. He would have made a very good son-in-law, but Rachel broke up with him after two years together.

Rachel is marrying Jesse St. James now and even if Hiram has his misgivings, he still wants to know about her wedding plans. The fact that she hasn’t been very forthcoming about them makes him even more curious.

“You’re going out sweetheart?” Leroy asks, voicing out Hiram’s concern.

“I am, Daddy,” Rachel replies as she stands at the bottom of the stairs, looking apologetic.

“But what about our musicals?” Leroy asks, gesturing at the DVDs stacked on the coffee table. “ _Funny Girl_ and _Chicago_ and _Wicked_?”

He waves the _Wicked_ DVD at her. The movie was released last year and they haven’t seen it together with Rachel. It’s one of her favorite musicals. She even auditioned for the movie before ultimately deciding to focus on _The Inner Life of Miss Havisham_.

“Can I get a rain check please, dads?” Rachel asks, her lower lip starting to jut out into a pout.

“Where are you going?” Hiram asks. “We were hoping to spend the day with you.”

“I have plans with a friend,” she replies.

“Which friend?” Hiram asks curiously. “On Christmas day?” Leroy wonders at the same time.

“It’s Quinn,” Rachel says, her voice pitching. “She’s back from _London_ ,” she emphasizes. “I know we have our tradition,” she acknowledges the DVDs with a gesture, “but I haven’t seen her in person for more than _two years_.”

Rachel was wearing a full out pout now, and Hiram knows he won’t be denying her, especially since he knows that his daughter has quite the soft spot for her friend. Rachel cares about almost everyone and everything, so that is saying something.

Rachel has told them all about Quinn Fabray and the things she’s done since they graduated high school. Hiram likes the girl. She sounds so smart and accomplished, hearing the way Rachel talks about her. He knows that she was one of the kids who used to bully Rachel, but he also knows about how she tried to convince Rachel not to marry Finn Hudson, knows how she got into an accident trying to get to the wedding to show her support. The former was a brave act, the latter a loyal one, and both have forever earned Hiram’s respect.

“I’ll be back for dinner, I promise,” Rachel says earnestly. “Then we can watch _Wicked_ after?” she adds with a smile.

Hiram shares another glance with Leroy, who gives him a small resigned smile. Hiram takes it to mean that Leroy doesn’t want to deny their daughter either.

“Well, we can go with that,” Leroy tells her indulgently. Hiram nods along with him.

Rachel’s smile widens. “Thank you so much, Daddy,” she says, giving Leroy a hug. “Dad,” she gives Hiram a hug as well.

Hiram opens his mouth to ask where Rachel and Quinn plan to go, but Rachel is already moving, putting on her coat and boots.

“I have to go now, dads,” she says abruptly. “I have to pick Quinn up.”

With a kiss to the top of Hiram and Leroy’s heads, Rachel departs in a flurry of motion, leaving a curious silence in her wake.

 

* * *

 

**Judy**

She hurries into the house after Quinn, eager to get away from the cold outside. George, Judy’s boyfriend of three years, follows right behind. They’ve just come from church, where they attended the early morning Christmas sermon.

Judy was pleasantly surprised when Quinn decided to go to church with her and George that morning without any prompting. There was a time, when Quinn was in college, that she adamantly refused to go to church. Judy’s glad that Quinn seems to be over that particular rebelliousness.

Quinn shrugs off her coat and hangs it on the rack, then starts to make her way upstairs.

“Quinnie, don’t change just yet,” Judy calls after Quinn as George helps her out of her coat. “We’re having lunch at the country club with some of my friends.”

Quinn, whose foot was already on the bottom step of the stairs, stands back and faces Judy with a grimace.

“I have other plans, mom,” she explains.

“But it’s Christmas day,” Judy points out. She hears rather than sees George make his way to the kitchen, making himself scarce.

“I know,” Quinn says evenly, “but we never do anything other than church in the morning and dinner in the evening. I thought I could go do something else before dinner.”

Judy can’t really argue with that. When Frannie and Quinn were younger, Judy used to bake cookies and make hot chocolate with them, but as her children got older their family got farther apart. By the time Quinn was in middle school, Christmases entailed church in the morning and dinner in the evening. In between that, Frannie would go to her high school boyfriend’s house while Quinn would stay in her bedroom and read all day.

“I was hoping we could make this a new tradition,” Judy says.

In fact, it is already a new tradition, one that Judy started a few years ago with her friends. Sometimes, they would even bring their sons and daughters with them to reintroduce to each other. Judy has brought Frannie and her husband with their absolutely adorable children the last time they spent the Christmas holidays in Lima, but Quinn hasn’t been home for Christmas in several years.

Quinn’s brows furrows for a moment before smoothing back. “I’m sorry, mom,” she begins, “but I didn’t know you’d be planning this. I already planned to meet up with a friend.”

“You’ve been meeting up with your friends for the past few days,” Judy points out. “Surely, you can see them another day?”

Quinn arrived from London several days ago. She spent most of those days going out with her old friends from high school, Santana and Brittany. Judy can’t see why she has to see them on Christmas day as well.

“Rachel’s just arrived here from New York,” Quinn replies. “I haven’t seen her in a while,” she adds, sounding almost petulant.

“Rachel Berry?” Judy asks. “Your friend from Glee Club who’s now in Broadway?”

Lima is a small town. When someone makes it big, everyone learns about it.

Quinn’s lips twitch into a smile. “Yeah,” she says softly.

Judy suddenly remembers snippets of conversations with her teenaged daughter about the star of McKinley High’s Glee Club. Then she remembers an image of Rachel Berry sitting in a hospital waiting room, eyes red-rimmed, as they waited for news about Quinn after her accident.

Judy knows that fighting with her stubborn daughter will only result in tears and resentment on Christmas day, so she decides to concede.

“Well, I suppose if you haven’t seen her in a while,” Judy says.

Quinn’s smile blooms. “Thanks, Mom,” she says gratefully before continuing her way up the stairs.

That beautiful smile from her serious daughter was enough to make up for the fact that Judy won’t get to reintroduce Quinn to her friends at the country club.

It is just as well, anyway. Unlike Frannie, Quinn has never led the most conventional life, not with her career choice or with the people -- _women_ \-- she dated. Judy is still struggling to accept that about her daughter. She tries because she loves Quinn and she wants to be in her life, but she doesn’t know if her country club friends will understand. It doesn’t help that Judy never met any of Quinn’s old girlfriends. She can’t learn to like or accept people she’s never met, much less defend her daughter’s choices to her friends.

Quinn is single now, but Judy hopes she’ll at least get to know whoever it is her daughter will choose to date next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mid-week update because this is a short chapter.


	6. Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered delaying the posting of this chapter since I didn't get around to making the "screenshots" for the SM post sections, but then I realized that those are all just aesthetics and won't really add to or take away anything from the story. So I decided to post this now since people would probably prefer not to wait. I'll probably edit this later in the week with the SM screenshots.
> 
> PS: Finn's alive because I didn't want to have to deal with a "dead ex-boyfriend" storyline. I wouldn't have been able to do it justice in this story. RIP Cory.

**Finn**

He stood by himself, leaning against a wall, as the loud music of Puck’s party boomed around the house. Puck had thrown the party because a lot of New Directions alumni were back in Lima for Christmas. Finn had been looking forward to seeing his old classmates, but so far the only people who had shown up were Kurt, Santana, and Brittany.

Finn had been talking to Puck and Kurt, but Puck had started asking about Rachel’s engagement so Finn had walked away from them. Kurt had already told him that Rachel got engaged to that asshole Jesse St. James, he didn’t need to hear the details. Santana and Brittany had started making out on the couch, so Finn wasn’t about to go near them. Finn didn’t really know the younger New Directions members, so he didn’t join them either.

Finn was contentedly drinking his beer as he bobbed his head to the party music when everyone started cheering loudly. Wondering what everyone was cheering about, he turned towards the door and saw that Rachel and Quinn had just arrived.

Together.

He promptly choked on his beer.

Finn knew from Kurt that Rachel and Quinn had sort of become really close friends, but seeing them together now made him really nervous. What if they talked about him and his, well…. Or started judging him together?

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a shout that was louder than the cheers and the music.

“Q!” Brittany yelled happily. She jumped up from the couch and ran towards Quinn, tackle-hugging her almost to the ground. “I missed you so much!”

Santana, who had followed Brittany at a slower pace, loudly said, “We just saw her two days ago, Brit.”

Ignoring that, Brittany kept Quinn locked in a tight embrace, only pulling away just the tiniest bit to enclose Santana in the hug too.

Rachel stepped away from the trio with an indulgent smile. She looked around the room until she caught sight of Finn. He stared as she moved to approach him.

Rachel looked really good. _Beautiful_ , really, in a black and white patterned dress that stopped a few inches above her knees, showing off long shapely legs covered in black tights. She was looking at him with those dark brown eyes. It had been _years_ , and Finn had a girlfriend he intended to marry, but he felt his heart drop to his stomach then jump to his throat.

He cleared his throat nervously. “Hi, Rach,” he greeted, shyly, as she stopped in front of him.

“Finn,” she said with a big smile. It was even more beautiful than he’d remembered. “How are you? I heard from Kurt that you got the coaching job with the Titans?”

Finn returned her smile. “Yeah. Just the beginning of this season.”

“That’s good to hear,” Rachel said sincerely. “And Kurt said you’re younger than most people who has that job. That’s quite an accomplishment.”

Finn scratched the back of his head. “Thanks,” he said, deciding not to tell her that the former coach had a heart attack during the pre-season and he had to step in. Rachel hadn’t really changed much with all her focus on accomplishments, and even now he still wanted to impress her. “Uh… Kurt said that you and--” _asshole_ , “--Jesse St. James got engaged?”

Rachel’s smile seemed to dim, or maybe he was just imagining that. “Yes, we did.”

“Oh, good. That’s good.”

It wasn’t. Finn absolutely hated Jesse St. James.

It wasn’t that he wanted Rachel for himself. At least that wasn’t the case anymore. They wanted different things in life, or maybe they wanted differently. Rachel wanted too much, too strongly. He didn’t understand it, the way she didn’t understand how he could be content in Lima. Because of that, Finn knew that he would always just be Rachel’s high school boyfriend. He could claim, whenever Rachel was mentioned, that he’d dated her in high school, but that was that.

He had accepted long ago that he wasn’t the one that Rachel would spend the rest of her life with. Still, did it really have to be _Jesse St. James_? Finn really hated the guy.

Rachel gave him a stilted nod, then she looked back at Quinn, Santana, and Brittany.

The three former Cheerios were talking excitedly among themselves. That was another sight that made Finn nervous. Her turned back to Rachel to make a joke about it, but she did not seem to share his sentiment. She was even smiling fondly at them.

Finn followed her line of sight towards Quinn.

He didn’t know why Quinn was here, in the country. Last he’d heard, she was in Europe. But whatever it was, he hoped one of her reasons for being here was to stop Rachel from getting married to Jesse St. James.

If there was anyone who could stop Rachel from weddings, it would be Quinn Fabray. She had, after all, been the reason why his and Rachel’s wedding did not happen. He wasn’t wishing for her to get in an accident again, but he hoped she would somehow put a stop to the impending wedding. Because, really, anyone but _Jesse St. James_.

 

* * *

 

**Mercedes**

She entered Puck’s house to the sounds of cheering and calls of her name. She waved at everyone she knew -- at Rachel and Finn standing at one side of the room, a high school flashback if ever there was one; at Quinn, Santana, and Brittany standing at the other, yet another high school flashback; at Kurt and Puck talking by the kitchen counter, refreshingly not a high school flashback. There were other people in the party, younger New Directions members by the looks of them, but they didn’t matter.

Her eyes fell on the drinks table and she immediately made a beeline for it, but she was suddenly stopped in her tracks by a very eager looking Rachel Berry.

“Mercedes!” Rachel greeted enthusiastically. “I’m so glad you came! When do you think we should do our duet?”

“Girl, I just got here,” Mercedes protested. “Let a sister breathe.”

Mercedes was doing fairly well in her music career, earning a small but loyal following. For some reason she shared a small subset of those fans with Rachel and somehow the fans found out that they went to high school together. Their fans had not stopped asking for a duet since then, and Rachel’s teasing promises on Twitter to post something on her YouTube page only increased the clamor.

It came as no surprise to Mercedes that Rachel Berry had a YouTube page. From what she could gather on the couple of times she checked it out, Rachel mostly posted snippets of show rehearsals, though she also posted the occasional song like she’d done in high school. Rachel had _told_ Mercedes that they were going to do a duet and post it on her channel if they were ever in the same place at the same time.

“You said you’ll be here in Lima until New Year’s?” Rachel asked. “I’ll be here until the end of the week. We could do the duet anytime from tomorrow until then.”

Rachel had talked the whole time as she followed Mercedes to the drinks table then to the couch where Mercedes finally faced her properly.

Mercedes started to give an affirmative answer -- she was excited about the duet idea too, Rachel was a Tony winner after all -- but they were suddenly distracted by a certain blonde standing in front of them.

Mercedes looked up as Quinn greeted her with a bright, “Mercedes, hi!”

“Quinn!” Mercedes exclaimed, standing up to envelop Quinn in a big hug. It had been too long since they’d seen each other. “How’s it going, girl?” she asked, pulling Quinn down to the couch between her and Rachel.

Mercedes spared a glance at Rachel, expecting a patented pout at being interrupted in her crazy scheme, but she was only beaming at Quinn. Shrugging to herself, Mercedes turned back to the blonde.

“Sorry I didn’t say ‘hi’ right away,” she felt she should say. “Rachel accosted me,” she added in a stage whisper.

“Ah,” Quinn replied knowingly. “So when are you two doing your duet?” she asked, looking back and forth between Mercedes and Rachel. “This one already has a list of songs you could do,” she said, pointing a thumb at Rachel.

“We were just going to discuss it, but your interrupting self came here and interrupted us,” Rachel told Quinn primly.

“Oh, so sorry, I’ll just go then,” Quinn replied lightly. She made to stand up, but Rachel put her hand on Quinn’s shoulder and pulled her back.

“Oh, sit down,” Rachel said in mock exasperation. “You can give us your ideas.”

Mercedes stared at the two of them with a confused smile. She knew the two women had gotten close after high school, but this -- they were _BFFs_! Rachel telling Quinn to share her ideas on a video of her singing made Mercedes want to laugh. Mostly, however, she wanted to discuss something else first.

“Oh, let’s talk about that later,” Mercedes said decisively. “Right now, Quinn,” she turned to the woman in question, “you owe me so much gossip, girl.”

Quinn chuckled at the pronouncement. “What do you want to know?” she asked easily.

“Like what are you up to now? You’re doing that British TV series, right?”

“I was,” Quinn replied. “That aired earlier this year. I’m actually planning to do a movie next year.”

“Is it still an indie?” Mercedes asked, already knowing what the answer would be. Quinn’s two movies were independent films. She had always seemed to love those quiet, profound films, even in high school

Quinn chuckled. “Yeah, yeah it is.”

“It’s her own screenplay,” Rachel piped up, looking very proud. “She’ll be playing the main character as well.”

Mercedes glanced at her, then looked questioningly back at Quinn, who nodded.

“It’s based on something I was trying to write as a novel,” Quinn explained. “But I realized it would make more sense if told in a visual medium. The writer for _Streets of Venice_ \-- my second movie -- is helping me produce it, and I’ll be working with the director from that movie as well.”

Mercedes nodded, impressed. She had not really _known_ this side of Quinn, the confident, accomplished, grown-up woman. She’d known what Quinn had been up to, known even about the acting nominations Quinn had received from independent film organizations for her two previous movies, but this was the first time she’d seen _this_ Quinn in person.

“That sounds great, girl,” Mercedes told Quinn genuinely. “I’ll be sure to watch it when it comes out.”

Quinn smiled. “Thanks Mercedes. So, what about you? You’re recording an album, right?”

Mercedes waved her hand dismissively. She’d tell Quinn about her own life later, but now she wanted to know the _real_ gossip. Like about Quinn’s girlfriend, because Quinn Fabray was _gay_. Sure, it wasn’t news anymore, but Mercedes still wanted to know the details because Quinn, who’d lived with the Joneses when she’d gotten pregnant, was honestly the last person Mercedes would ever peg of swinging the other way.

She could still remember her shock when Kurt had told her that the very beautiful French woman who’d been tagging Quinn in equally beautiful photos on Facebook had been her girlfriend and not just a weirdly close friend. In retrospect, Mercedes should have known, especially after being exposed to Santana and Brittany’s “friendship” in high school.

Mercedes knew that Quinn was dating someone else now, an English soccer player. She wanted more details on that.

“Are you filming the movie in England?” Mercedes started fishing. “You’re still dating that soccer player, right?”

“Oh no,” Quinn denied. “My we broke up last month, actually.”

Mercedes winced. “Oh, I’m sorry. Why--?”

“Hey, I’m going to go talk to Noah,” Rachel said suddenly. “I’ll leave you two to catch up,” she said, quickly crossing to the other side of the room.

“Why did you break up?” Mercedes continued.

Quinn stared after Rachel’s retreating form for a few moments before turning back to Mercedes.

She shrugged. “We wanted different things.”

 

* * *

 

**_Instagram post by user that_mercedesjones, cross-posted to Facebook_ **

**Photo:** _[Rachel and Quinn,  sitting close together on a couch. The two women are leaning slightly towards each other and smiling up at the camera.]_  
**Caption:** These two being bffs now always throw me for a loop

**Facebook Comments:**  
**Mike Chang Jr:** this is scary. seeing pics of them together makes me think they’re planning world domination or something  
**Artie Abrams** : _[Mike]_ you take the words right out of my mouth, my friend  
**Tina Cohen-Chang:** it makes me think of how long ago high school was. we’re old!!!  
**Mike Chang Jr:** _[Tina]_ yeah, we’ll have our 10 year reunion in 2 years :O  
**Cedes J:**  and it’s all coming back, it’s all coming back, it’s all coming back to me now....  
**Kurt Hummel:** _[Cedes]_ which pair is that song intended for? :D :D :D  
**Cedes J:** _[Tina]_ gets to pick  
**Tina Cohen-Chang:** NO.  
**Mike Chang Jr:** ouch

**Instagram Comments:**  
**mercedesfan999:** I LOVE YOU  
**izzy_zzy:** please do a duet with rachel!

 

* * *

 

**_A post by Tumblr user elphaba-inwonderland_ **

**Photo:** _[screenshot of Mercedes Jones’ instagram post on Rachel and Quinn]_

**Caption:** I wonder if they know how good they look together

**Tags:** faberry, crack, bff means bosom friends forever, emphasis on the bosom, were they not friends in high school though

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James’_ **

**Guest 1:** So Rachel is spending the holidays back in Ohio while Jesse is in New York. What do you think that means?

**Guest 2:** It means that Rachel doesn’t have a show scheduled right now and has decided to spend the first holiday break she’s had in years with her dads in her hometown. Jesse couldn’t go with her because he’s still doing workshop on his new show.

**Guest 1:** Yeah, but her dads could’ve come to New York instead like they did last year. And she and Jesse are still not giving more details about their wedding.

**Guest 3:** they’re not going to tell us every little thing they’ve decided on. are you the same anon who keeps saying that Rachel’s not excited about her wedding? please give it a rest already.

**Guest 4:** Ignore the troll. They obviously have nothing better to do with their life

 

* * *

 

**Mercedes**

She rang the doorbell to the Berry house then stepped back. It was the day after Puck’s party and she and Rachel were going to do the duet video that Rachel had promised to their fans. Mercedes would have preferred to do it on another day, but Rachel apparently had somewhere _“really important”_ to be tomorrow then she would be traveling back to New York the day after that.

So here she was, standing in front of the Berrys’ house in her sunglasses, still slightly hungover from last night’s partying.

The door was answered by one of Rachel’s dads. Mercedes had met the two of them on Rachel’s ill-advised attempted wedding to Finn, but she could never remember which one was which.

“Hi,” Mercedes greeted the man. She started to introduce herself, but she was interrupted by an enthusiastic--

“Hello! Mercedes Jones, right? Rachel said you two are doing a duet for your fans?” he asked with great interest as he ushered Mercedes inside the house.

“Yes, uh…”

“Leroy,” Rachel’s dad filled in. “Hiram’s the one with the big nose,” he added conspiratorially.

Mercedes smiled at the aside. She took off her sunglasses and shrugged off her coat, which Leroy promptly took from her hands and hung on the coat rack. “So, where’s--?”

“Oh, Rachel’s upstairs in her room,” Leroy answered. “They’re setting everything up. It’s just through there--” he pointed to the stairs, “and second door to the right.”

Mercedes considered asking Leroy who ‘they’ were, but decided against it knowing she’d find out soon enough. She thanked Leroy then followed his directions to Rachel’s room, where voices were drifting through the slightly open door. She knocked once then pushed the door, and was surprised to find none other than Quinn Fabray inside.

Quinn was sitting on Rachel’s bed while Rachel was sitting at her dressing table. Mercedes looked back and forth between them. She’d caught the tail end of their conversation, something about Quinn wanting to give someone -- a ‘her’ -- a present and Rachel reassuring her about it, but they didn’t seem keen to continue talking now that she was in the room. Mercedes reckoned that Quinn had met some new girl and was talking to Rachel about it, and she was once again confronted with the almost unbelievable notion that Quinn and Rachel seemed to be best friends now.

“Mercedes!” Rachel said, quickly standing up from her chair and leading Mercedes to another one by the desk under the windows. “Good you’re here. I was beginning to wonder if you’d show up at all.”

“I’m only an hour late,” she protested, taking the offered chair. “I was fighting off a hangover,” she said pointedly. She looked around Rachel’s room, noting the yellow walls and the photographs above the desk. “How are _you_ so chipper?”

“I’m pretty sure I didn’t drink as much as you did last night,” Rachel said wryly.

Mercedes furrowed her brows, trying to remember the events of the party. Most of them, herself included, had gotten pretty wasted, but she recalled Quinn and Rachel sitting at one corner for most of the night, talking by themselves and removed from everyone else. And now Quinn was here in Rachel’s room.

Mercedes’ eyes darted back and forth between the two women. They were acting like those little kids who’d just met their new favorite friend and couldn’t bear to be separated from each other.

Rachel must have caught Mercedes’ questioning looks because she said, “Quinn’s here to take the video.”

Mercedes looked at the video camera. It was on a tripod and most probably ready to record at the touch of a button.

“Shall we start finding a second song?” Rachel said.

They’d quickly agreed on doing Mercedes’ single yesterday, but they’d also thought that it would be a nice display of their vocal prowess to do an _a capella_ rendition of a song by a famous artist.

As it turned out, Rachel had already compiled a list of songs and artists she thought they should do. Mercedes immediately dismissed the songs from musicals. They considered but passed on too-old or too-new artists, until they were left with songs from Beyonce, Rihanna, Adele, and somewhat incongruently, Sara Bareilles. Mercedes decided to show allegiance to her black sisters and vetoed Adele and Sara Bareilles, magnanimously letting Rachel pick a song from either Beyonce or Rihanna.

They did Mercedes’ song first -- _Wings_ \-- and Mercedes found out what Quinn was really there for, which was to annoy the hell out of them with her ideas about lighting and camera angles. Well, _Mercedes_ was annoyed. Rachel seemed to enjoy her and Quinn’s back and forth banter as Quinn directed them from one side of the room to another. At one point, Quinn even managed to get them out of the room before Rachel realized that the sound quality would be greatly diminished outside of her soundproofed bedroom.

By the time they’d decided on a spot to record the video, Mercedes was one change of mind away from strangling Quinn and Rachel’s collective skinny asses.

Thankfully, they didn’t repeat their antics when it was time to do the second song -- Rihanna’s _Stay_.

Quinn was silent while Mercedes and Rachel practiced the song. She remained quiet when they recorded the video, staring intently at the video camera’s screen, glancing up at them as they sang, then looking down at the screen again. When Mercedes and Rachel finished the song, Rachel was clearly emotional, which was nothing new, and Quinn’s eyes looked suspiciously watery, which was actually nothing new as well.

Mercedes was comforted. That, at least, was something that hadn’t changed about them.

 

* * *

 

**_A thread on Twitter_ **

**@RachelBerry:** @that_mercedesjones and I finally got together for that long-promised duet :)  
**@RachelBerry:** @that_mercedesjones Here’s our a capella rendition of Rihanna’s “Stay” _[YouTube link]_  
**@RachelBerry:** and @that_mercedesjones’ own “Wings” _[YouTube link]_  
**@RachelBerry:** Enjoy! And you’re welcome. Hope everyone’s having a good holiday. :)  
**@RachelBerry:** P.S.: @quinnfab_ as videographer and director. :) :D  
**@that_mercedesjones:** @RachelBerry @quinnfab_ more like bossy camerawoman  
**@RachelBerry:** @that_mercedesjones @quinnfab_ Bossy “videographer and director”. Don’t forget the titles. ;)

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** Quinn’s tagged in this tweet _[link]_ by Rachel Berry, her Broadway actress friend that she went to high school with. She’s also in this Insta picture _[link]_ by Mercedes Jones. I guess she’s back in the US?

**Guest 2:** oh cool. do you think she’s back in the US for good or returning to england after christmas break?

**Guest 1:** I think she and Karen Darvill are really over, so maybe she’s back for good?

**Guest 3:** I don’t care where she is, I just want her to do another movie or TV show. I love the radio show and all, and I’m looking forward to the audiobooks being released because her voice is super hot, but I miss looking at *and* listening to her :(

**Guest 2:** haha. me too.

**Guest 4:** I wanna have sex with her voice.

**Guest 1:** @previous anon -- I know what you mean. She didn’t even go to that event with the other After Wonderland cast. :(

**Guest 3:** Not all of the After Wonderland cast were in that event anyway. Do you think she’s in Ohio or in New York, since she’s with Rachel Berry?

**Guest 5:** She’s in Ohio. Mercedes Jones tweeted about spending the holidays there.

**Guest 2:** who is mercedes jones?

**Guest 4:** You know you can google that, right?

**Guest 5:** @previous anon: She’s a singer with an album coming up. :) She was in the same glee club as Quinn and Rachel Berry. Makes you wonder what they were feeding the kids in that club.

**Guest 2:** thanks for answering nicely! are you sleuth anon? :)

**Guest 5:** Yes, I suppose I am. And you’re welcome. :)

**Guest 6:** do you think Quinn will really be directing something, or is that some sort of inside joke?

**Guest 5:** She mentioned in an old interview about taking filmmaking classes when she was in SF  _[link to interview]_. I wouldn’t be surprised if she does end up doing something behind the camera. Hmm… maybe she’s directing a movie next? That could be why Rachel Berry is insisting on calling her the “videographer and director”.

**Guest 3:** That would be awesome! :D But we won’t get to see her face. :(

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** Check out Rachel’s YouTube page. She did two songs with that singer friend of hers. :)

**Guest 2:** that’s mercedes jones! and they did wings, yay!

**Guest 3:** I ship it.

**Guest 1:** Haha! Don’t say that on the StBerry board.

**Guest 3:** I can’t help it that she has chemistry with everyone. :D


	7. Interlude: Beth

She excitedly jumps up from her bed when she hears the doorbell ring. She runs down the stairs two steps at a time, forgetting about her mom’s frequent admonitions not to do so. She gets downstairs just in time to see her mom open the door to a familiar face.

“Puck!” Beth greets happily.

Her mom told her that he’ll be dropping by today, and she’s been waiting for him to arrive since that morning.

She has known Puck for as long as she can remember. He always attends her birthday parties, visits around various holidays, and even helps her mom when something in the house needs fixing. When Beth was younger, she thought he is just her mom’s friend. Now, she is beginning to suspect that he might be her biological father. She knows her mom will answer her honestly if -- when -- she asks, but she is not ready to do it just yet. It will suck if it turns out that her assumptions are wrong.

Puck is wearing a backpack and carrying a big green box, so Beth can’t go up to hug him. Someone is behind Puck and she gets even more excited when she sees who it is.

“Rachel!” she yells loudly. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

Beth knows that Rachel is her mom’s biological daughter. Rachel doesn’t really visit often, but she always sends Beth birthday and Christmas presents. They met on Beth’s sixth birthday, and Rachel brought her a lot of presents then too -- a book and several toys. She’s lost or given away all of the toys but the book,  _ Alice in Wonderland _ , is still in the “favorites” section of her bookshelf.

Beth jumps at Rachel and gives her a hug, standing on her tiptoes.

“Surprise?” Rachel says with a smile.

Beth grins widely back at her until she sees another person behind Rachel. Her grin turns into a tentative smile.

Rachel notices her looking at the lady questioningly. “Hey Beth,” she begins, “this is my, uhm, friend. Quinn.”

“Hi,” Beth greets the new person quietly, suddenly shy.

Quinn is very beautiful, with very pretty blonde hair, unlike Beth’s hair which is a boring light brown, not even a rich dark color like her mom’s or Rachel’s. Quinn looks familiar, but Beth doesn’t know who she reminds her of.

“Hi Beth,” Quinn breathes out.

She is looking at Beth very strangely. Beth looks at Rachel questioningly -- her friend is strange -- but Rachel is looking between her and Quinn like she’s waiting for something to happen. Beth’s not sure what Rachel wants her to do.

“Why don’t we all go inside?” Beth’s mom says.

“Do you like gingerbread cookies?” Beth asks Puck and Rachel as everyone moves into the living room and settles on the couch and chairs. “Mom and I baked  _ a lot _ on Christmas,” she adds proudly.

“We would  _ love _ your gingerbread cookies, Beth,” Rachel says enthusiastically. “We brought cupcakes too. Quinn made them.”

Beth looks at the blonde lady, noticing for the first time that she’s carrying a small box with her. 

“Well, my mom did,” the lady explains lamely.

“Why don’t I take that,” Beth’s mom begins, “and Puck? Want to help me out?” she says in that tone that Beth knows Puck  _ should _ help her out. 

Puck nods, standing up and handing the bag he’s holding to Rachel before taking the small box of cupcakes from Quinn.

“Beth,” her mom directs at her. “Why don’t you entertain our guests while we prepare our snacks,” she suggests before heading towards their kitchen, Puck following right behind.

Beth rolls her eyes. She doesn’t need to be told that. She turns her attention to Rachel and Quinn. The blonde lady is still looking at Beth strangely.

Rachel suddenly claps her hands. “Beth, we have presents for you,” she says. “Would you like to open them now?”

“Really? Can I?”

“Of course,” Rachel replies, fishing out a present from the bag Puck was carrying. “This one’s from Puck,” she says, handing it to Beth, “but you have to wait for him before opening that. This one’s from me,” she fishes out another present from the bag. “And this one’s from Quinn,” she prods the heavy-looking green box.

“Thanks, Rachel!” Beth says happily accepting Rachel’s and Puck’s gifts. She glances at the big green box then at Quinn. “Thank you,” she tells the lady shyly.

Beth doesn’t know why Rachel’s friend also got her a present, but she’s not going to question it. She puts aside the present from Puck and unwraps the one from Rachel first. She finishes unwrapping to reveal a Deluxe Art Set box. She opens the box, which contains a set of colored pencils, crayons, water colors, and even acrylic paint tubes.

She looks up at Rachel with a grin.

“Do you like it?” Rachel asks.

“Yeah,” Beth replies, nodding enthusiastically. She loves to draw, and she’s been wanting to try out acrylic painting. “Thanks, Rachel,” she says sincerely.

“You’re welcome,” Rachel replies with a wide smile. “Why don’t you open Quinn’s present now?”

“Okay,” Beth agrees easily. She’s not going to turn down presents.

She puts aside the box of art materials then moves towards the big green box, lifting up the lid carefully. Her eyes widen when she sees the contents -- a big pile of  _ books _ .

“Ohmygod,” she whispers in awe. She looks up at Quinn, tries and fails to say her thanks, then looks down at the books again.

Beth’s mom and Puck enters at that moment, carrying trays of cookies, cupcakes, and drinks. Quinn suddenly starts stammering an explanation.

“Those are-- those are just my old books,” she says to Beth’s mom. “They were just in my room gathering dust. I figured someone should be reading them, and who better to-- I mean--”

“Thank you Quinn,” Beth’s mom says with a smile. “I’m sure Beth loves them. Don’t you, honey?”

Beth smiles widely, and Quinn begins to relax. “Yeah,” she says. “I love books!”

“I heard,” Quinn says, smiling softly. She clears her throat before continuing. “There’s a couple of new books there too. Do you know Diana Wynne Jones?”

Beth shakes her head.

“She was an amazing author who wrote a lot of great stories,” Quinn explains. She picks a book up from the pile in the box and shows it to Beth, who reads  _ Howl’s Moving Castle _ on the cover. “This one has a movie adaptation.”

Beth takes the book reverently, looks up at Quinn then at her mom, who’s smiling, then back at Quinn. “Thank you,” she says gratefully.

Quinn nods, looking teary-eyed. Beth glances at the other adults and catches them giving her a strange expression. She frowns, confused, but Rachel starts to say something.

“You know, Beth,” Rachel begins, “Quinn helped me with the other presents I gave you. She’s the one who picked out the 3D puzzle and the  _ Alice in Wonderland _ book.”

“Really?” she asks Quinn, who nods again. Beth gives her a big smile. “Thanks. I loved them.  _ Alice in Wonderland _ is one of my favorite books.”

“It’s one of my favorites too,” Quinn agrees.

Beth grins at her, deciding that this lady isn’t so bad, before remembering that she has a bunch of new -- and old-new -- books in front of her. She kneels down and combs through the pile with growing interest, reading familiar and unfamiliar titles.

Much later, after Beth opened her present from Puck (new games for her Nintendo Switch), after Rachel sang a few snippets of songs from her new show (her voice was beautiful as always), after Quinn revealed that she was in a TV show based on  _ Alice in Wonderland _ (it sounded awesome), and after all three guests have left, Beth and her mom carried the pile of books to Beth’s room and started putting them up on her shelves.

“What do you think of Quinn?” Beth’s mom asks.

“I like her,” she replies. “She’s Rachel’s friend and she got me all these books!”


	8. Movement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might be something that I should have said from the beginning, but Kurt and Blaine aren't together in this story. I'm sorry, Klaine shippers (if any of you are actually reading this), and also sorry for not having said that before.

**_Instagram post by user qfab__ **

**Photo:** _[a worn out copy of_ ** _Emma_** _on top of a table, a ray of sunlight streaming in through a nearby window]_  
**Caption:** Old and new: an old book to start the new year, an old favorite before a new adaptation. :)

 

* * *

 

**Jesse**

He looked across the table at Rachel.

It had been a week since she’d returned from Lima. She had immediately gotten back into rehearsals with _Clueless_ , which would be staging previews in a couple of weeks. Jesse’s show, on the other hand, would be presented to the first set of potential backers a month from now. The two of them had been so busy with their respective projects that they hadn’t had time to themselves for the last couple of months.

To make up for that, Jesse had taken it upon himself to make sure that they can have tonight for themselves to share a romantic dinner. They’d had to have it in their apartment since they were both too busy to go out. He didn’t know how to cook so he didn’t prepare the food himself -- it was all takeout -- but looking at the spread on the table and the romantic lighting around them, he felt pretty proud of himself.

He grinned widely at Rachel. She gave him a small smile back. Determined to get a beaming smile, he cleared his throat in preparation for a speech.

“A toast,” he began, lifting his glass of wine. “To us. For how far we’ve come, both in our careers and in our--”

A short and quiet ring sounded from the counter behind Rachel. It wouldn’t have deterred Jesse in his speech, but she was reaching back for her phone. She took one look at the phone then gave him an apologetic smile.

“It’s Quinn, sorry,” she said, already opening her phone up to read her friend’s message.

Her face suddenly lit up. She glanced at him and hurriedly said, “I have to call her, sorry.”

Jesse watched her go, disappointed that he hadn’t gotten to finish his speech.

Rachel came back several minutes later, a bright smile lighting up her face. Jesse wanted to finish his speech, but he was curious.

“What was that about?” he asked.

“Oh, uh, Quinn’s coming here,” she told him, her smile growing smaller.

“To our apartment?” Jesse asked, confused. He’d thought -- or maybe hoped -- that she’d already returned to Europe.

“No!” Rachel said quickly. “No. I meant here, to New York.”

“Oh. Uh, what--?”

“She’s doing a movie,” Rachel said, her smile getting bigger again. “They’re filming it in New York. I thought they were going to film in Frankfurt, since she seemed pretty set on that. Or even LA -- that’s what one of her co-producers wanted. But they’re filming here!”

Jesse took in Rachel’s beaming smile. Usually that was enough to make him smile as well, but there was something about the news that was not sitting right with him.

“How long will she be here?” he asked.

“As long as she needs to do the movie?” Rachel guessed. “Maybe longer,” she added with undisguised hope in her voice.

Jesse could not understand the sinking feeling in his stomach at that information. He dismissed it and took the opening for a topic he’d been wanting to discuss with Rachel.

“That means she can be your Maid of Honor!” he said brightly. Rachel hadn’t discussed her wedding entourage with him.

“What?” Rachel asked, looking at him like he’d grown two heads.

“Maid of Honor. For the wedding.”

Rachel barked out a humorless laugh. “No. No, no. Quinn’s not going to be my Maid of Honor.”

“Isn’t she your best friend?” Jesse pointed out. “Your best female friend, at least,” he added, thinking of Kurt. There was no way Santana Lopez could be Rachel’s Maid of Honor, their friendship simply wasn’t like that. Jesse supposed there was Claire Sunderland, who Rachel met many years ago when she was in the touring cast of _Les Miserables_ , but as far as he knew the actress wasn’t in New York.

“She’s still not going to be my Maid of Honor,” Rachel said, her right hand flying to her left, as though shielding the engagement ring on her finger.

Her bright demeanor of only a few moments ago was suddenly gone. Jesse immediately regretted bringing it up. He wondered what he’d missed. Was she only pretending to be happy about Quinn coming to New York? Perhaps they’d been fighting. He hoped it wasn’t about _Finn Hudson_ again. He knew all three of them had been Lima a couple of weeks ago. But no, no way Rachel would fight with anyone over that ass again. Jesse knew she was very much over Finn Hudson.

“Can we--” Rachel began, distracting Jesse from his unpleasant train of thought, “can we just talk about something else?” She started twisting her ring around her finger. “What-- what’s going on with your workshop? Have you gotten more backers yet?”

Jesse hesitated, then decided to let it go at the prospect of getting to discuss his project. He launched into a detailed enumeration of all the significant names who’d shown interest in it. He hoped that they could schedule it for a Broadway or even Off-Broadway staging this year, and he confided that to Rachel, who expressed her confidence in him.

He loved that Rachel understood his work, its significance and his efforts. He was really happy that she was marrying him.

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She took a few moments to process what Quinn had just told her over the phone.

“You’re not fucking with me, are you?” she asked suspiciously.

“No,” Quinn denied immediately. “Why would I f-- _joke_ about something like that?”

“So you’re really filming your movie _here_?” Santana clarified. “In New York?”

“That’s generally what ‘we’re filming the movie in New York’ means, yes,” Quinn deadpanned.

Santana rolled her eyes. “What happened to ‘I want to film in Germany and learn the language at the same time’?” she shot back.

“Irene didn’t really want us filming in a non-English speaking country,” Quinn said. “It would be difficult to find English-speaking actors unless we fly them there and arrange their accommodations, and that’s beyond our budget.”

Santana didn’t know who Irene was. She was sure that Quinn had mentioned her before, but she didn’t really pay attention when Quinn rambled on about the details of her projects.

Santana let out a contemplative hum. She was glad that Quinn would be staying in the US, maybe not permanently but definitely for several months. And in New York as well. She knew that Quinn had been planning to visit for the opening of Rachel’s show, but having Quinn around for longer than a couple of days’ stay would be much better.

“You’re staying with me, of course,” she told Quinn decisively.

The roommate she’d had to get after Brit moved to Chicago had left after only a couple of months’ stay. Having Quinn around would definitely help with the expenses. That, and Santana also wanted to help her friend, of course.

“I actually wanted to ask you about that,” Quinn began. “But didn’t you have a roommate? I was thinking I could just crash on your couch while I look for my own place.”

“She already moved out,” Santana replied. “When are you coming here? Are you flying directly from there?”

Quinn had been in California for a week, first in San Francisco visiting her sister then in Los Angeles having face-to-face meetings with her co-producers for the movie.

“I’m going back to Lima to get the rest of my things,” Quinn replied. “But Jal and I have to be there as soon as possible to start scouting for locations and hiring the cast and crew.” Santana didn’t know who Jal was either, but that wasn’t important. “I’ll be there in, maybe, three, four days?” Quinn concluded.

“Okay,” Santana said easily. The other room wasn’t ready yet, but Quinn could clean it herself.

There was a moment’s pause, then Quinn said, “We might need to film some scenes in the apartment. We have a small budget, so I’m thinking that my character’s place will just be whatever place I’m staying in.”

“Cool,” Santana mused. “My apartment will be featured in a snobby movie. Is there going to be a sex scene?” she asked.

“No,” Quinn said, her tone coming out like a question. “Why did you even jump to that?”

“A sex scene would be wanky,” Santana offered in suggestion. “A _lesbian_ sex scene that is. No heteros!”

“I’m going to hang up on you now,” Quinn said.

“Or at least a make out scene.”

“Good. Bye.”

“Sex sells, Q!”

That was when the other line went dead.

 

* * *

 

**_A private chat:_ **

**Rachel:** Hi Kurt. Hi Santana.  
**Rachel:** We should have a welcome dinner for Quinn when she gets here. :)  
**Rachel:** I was thinking at a restaurant near Brooklyn Bridge, on the Brooklyn side, with a good view of the Manhattan Skyline.  
**Rachel:** My treat. :)

**Santana:** YES  
**Santana:** Cool. Will look up restaurants  
**Santana:** I dont trust you not to pick vegan-only places

**Kurt:** Sounds good to me. :) And we don’t mind paying for our share

**Santana:** DO NOT turn down free food, Hummel  
**Santana:** Berry, youre still paying. Dont take that back

**Rachel:** I wasn’t going to take it back. :/  
**Rachel:** NOR was I going to pick vegan-only restaurants. Quinn loves her meat.

**Kurt:** Oh boy  
**Kurt:** Rachel, please re-read what you just wrote

**Santana:** Haha. I think you forgot one little thing about Q.

_Rachel Berry is offline._

**Santana:** LMAO!

 

* * *

 

**_A post on Twitter_ **

**@quinnfab_:** Proud to announce that I will be starting a new project soon with old friends @irenekohler and @jalrana. Details to follow.

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** Quinn’s doing something new with Irene Kohler and Jalil Rana. _[link to tweet]_ A movie, most probably.

**Guest 2:** yay! that’s a good collab. I loved ‘streets of venice’.

**Guest 3:** She also posted on Insta about a “new adaptation” of Emma. Maybe they’re doing a movie based on the book?

**Guest 4:** doesn’t sound like her, tbh

**Guest 3:** Well, Quinn would be a good Emma, but you’re right. Doesn’t really sound like her.

**Guest 1:** Quinn’s friend Rachel Berry is starring in the stage adaptation of Clueless. I think that’s what she meant by the “new adaptation” of Emma. Maybe she’s going to see that. I remember she was in the opening night of Havisham.

**Guest 4:** @sleuth anon, is that you? I guess that means Quinn will be in New York some time?

**Guest 1:** Yes, it’s me. :D And yeah, we’ll probably see Quinn in New York soon. Clueless opens this February. She might be there for opening night.

**Guest 4:** they’re such good friends. they seem so supportive of each other. I know a lot of people who started watching Quinn’s movies and TV show because Rachel Berry tweeted about them.

**Guest 2:** gal pals. teehee

**Guest 1:** Haha! They’re just good friends. Rachel Berry is actually engaged to a Broadway actor. :)

**Guest 2:** i can dream :D

 

* * *

 

**_A private chat:_ **

**Rachel:** You’re picking Quinn up at the airport tomorrow, right? Are you renting a car or taking a cab?  
**Rachel:** I can get you a car with a chauffeur?  
**Rachel:** I’ll get you a car.

**Santana:** Im not gonna pick her up  
**Santana:** She knows where my apt is

**Rachel:** What? Quinn will be bringing a couple of large suitcases with her!  
**Rachel:** You can’t expect her to take a cab by herself, in NEW YORK of all places, while lugging two suitcases around.

**Santana:** Calm down. Pretty sure the suitcases have wheels :|  
**Santana:** And shes a grown woman  
**Santana:** Who lived in LONDON  
**Santana:** She can take a cab by herself

**Rachel:** That is so not the point.

**Santana:** What is the point  
**Santana:** And i have to be at a hearing  
**Santana:** I cant pick her up

**Rachel:** Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?  
**Rachel:** I’ll pick her up. Just leave the key to your apartment somewhere we can get to.

**Santana:** Dont you have rehearsals?

**Rachel:** I already told them I’ll be taking off early tomorrow for Quinn’s welcome dinner, I’ll just leave even earlier  
**Rachel:** It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve mastered the script and perfected the song numbers. At this point, it’s all a matter of waiting for everyone else to catch up to me.

**Santana:** Of course.  
**Santana:** Ill leave the key with our super  
**Santana:** Just text me when you get here tom and ill let him know

**Rachel:** Good! I’m glad that’s settled.  
**Rachel:** I’ll see you tomorrow for the dinner. :)

 

* * *

 

**Puck**

He hummed along to the music playing on the car’s radio as he drove. Next to him, Quinn was gazing out of the window, looking deep in thought. They were heading for the airport at Columbus, where Quinn had a scheduled flight to New York.

They arrived at the airport after an hour’s drive. Puck parked his car in front of the departure gate and immediately started unloading Quinn’s two suitcases from the car’s trunk. They were both particularly heavy because Quinn had brought her favorite books. Apparently, she just couldn’t stay at one place for long without those books. Puck had to stop himself from making a “nerd” comment when Quinn had explained that to him.

Quinn gazed unseeingly inside the airport through its glass walls.

“Hey,” he nudged Quinn to get her attention.

“I remember the Glee Club taking a plane here to New York,” she said wistfully. “In junior year, for Nationals. Rachel was so excited.”

Puck grinned at the memory. It had been so long ago, and a lot of things had changed since then. Particularly Quinn and Rachel.

“Rachel’s picking you up, right?” he asked.

Quinn’s lips lifted into a small smile. “Yeah. I told her she didn’t have to, but she insisted on it.”

Puck silently thanked Rachel for her stubbornness. Even now, he still couldn’t help worrying about Quinn overexerting herself. He knew Rachel felt the same way. He was really glad that Quinn was filming her movie in New York with Rachel there. And Santana too, he tacked on in afterthought.

Quinn shook her head as though to clear her thoughts. She took both suitcases from Puck’s hands and rolled them behind her. She let go of one to give Puck a one-armed hug.

“Thanks for the ride, Puck,” she told him gratefully. “Let me know what Beth’s up to, alright?” she asked.

Puck smiled and nodded.

Shelby had offered them the same chance with Beth years ago -- to be in her life without burdening the child with the knowledge of who they really were, and a promise of total honesty if Beth ever asked about her biological parents. It was the only arrangement that Shelby could think of without confusing Beth, and Puck hadn’t hesitated to accept the offer. It took him a conversation with Rachel to realize it, but he understood now that Quinn’s situation was a little different from his. Beth, after all, didn’t have a new father who would get to raise her instead of him.

Puck was just happy that Quinn finally accepted Shelby’s offer and let herself see Beth again. “I’m glad you’re home, Q,” he said fondly.

Quinn gave him a small smile before gazing back at the departure area. There were a lot of people milling about, carrying backpacks or rolling suitcases behind them. Some were hurrying to the check-in counter, while others stood staring up at a digital board which listed the flight schedules. Some people arrived at the departure gate by themselves, while others were saying goodbye to loved ones before stepping inside.

It was several moments before Quinn replied, “Home’s an elusive concept.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't have the time (or motivation) to convert the SM posts to SM "screenshots", so... enjoy them in their "raw form", I guess?


	9. Presence

**_A private chat:_ **

**Rachel:** Hi Kurt! Don’t forget about Quinn’s welcome dinner tonight.  
**Rachel:** Be there or be square! :)

**Kurt:** Please don’t ever say that again  
**Kurt:** And yes, I’ll be there  
**Kurt:** Who else is coming other than us 2 and Santana?

**Rachel:** Jalil Rana will be joining us as well. :)

**Kurt:** ?  
**Kurt:** Who’s that??

**Rachel:** He’s the director and co-producer for Quinn’s movie!  
**Rachel:** You should already know this. I’ve told you about him.

**Kurt:** Right  
**Kurt:** Must’ve slipped my mind :|

**Rachel:** :(  
**Rachel:** I feel like you’re making fun of me.

**Kurt:** Never :D

**Rachel:** Hmph! Just don’t be late tonight.  
**Rachel:** You should take off work early to account for the traffic going to the restaurant.

**Kurt:** Yeah. OK, Rachel.

 

* * *

 

**Jal** **  
** The Director

He made his way to the restaurant Quinn had told him about. She’d arrived in New York earlier today and her friends were having a “welcome to New York” dinner for her. She’d been nice enough to invite him along.

Jal himself had arrived in New York yesterday. He and Quinn would start scouting for locations for their movie tomorrow. They were the ones responsible for the creative aspect of the movie’s production, while Irene Kohler was mainly responsible for getting them investors and publicity. Irene, who was writing for a TV series in Los Angeles, had wanted them to film the movie there, but Quinn had been quite insistent on New York and Irene had given in eventually.

Presently, Jal arrived at the restaurant, catching sight of Quinn sitting at the bar. Next to her was Rachel Berry, whom Jal had heard about many times but had never formally met. The two women were leaning towards each other, laughing over something, and seemingly unaware of the people around them.

Hesitant to intrude, Jal paused by the doorway and took note of his surroundings. The restaurant was in an enclosed area on the roof deck of a building near the Brooklyn Bridge. Its glass walls afforded a beautiful view of the New York City skyline rising up over the water. Jal took a moment to watch the twinkling city lights against a darkening sky before proceeding slowly to the bar.

“Hey, Q,” he greeted amiably as he stopped in front of her and Rachel Berry.

The two women looked up at him with a surprised smile. “Hi, you made it,” Quinn said with a grin. She noticed his eyes dart to Rachel Berry and introduced them. “This is Rachel,” she said, putting a hand on the other woman’s arm. “Rach, this is Jal Rana.”

Jal extended his hand politely to Rachel. “I’ve heard _so much_ about you,” he told the brunette, and not because she was a relatively well-known Broadway actress. He didn’t know much about Broadway, but Quinn talked a lot about Rachel Berry and her shows.

“All good things, I hope?” Rachel asked as she shook his hand.

“Oh, the best,” Jal assured her.

Rachel looked at Quinn and gave her a big smile before turning back to Jal. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said. “I loved _Streets of Venice_ , and not only because Quinn was in the cast.”

Jal opened his mouth to reply, but Rachel was still talking. “But I suppose it is only logical that the movie would turn out great since Quinn _is_ part of it. She always picks great movies and TV shows. I’m sure your movie would turn out great as well,” she told him confidently.

“Thanks, I think?” Jal said uncertainly.

Quinn cleared her throat. “Do you want to sit?” she asked Jal. “We’re still waiting for two more people, but I think we can get our table already?” she directed the question to Rachel, who answered in the affirmative.

Soon enough, they were settled at a table by the glass walls, giving them an unobstructed view of the city outside.

The two other people who were supposed to be joining them were late, so Jal got to know Rachel Berry a little bit more first. He learned that she was very excited about the movie they were doing, that she was very bubbly, and that she tended to talk in long sentences. It was possible that the latter two were due to the first. What was unmistakable, however, was how much she and Quinn held each other in high regard. He could see it in how they looked at each other, how they talked to each other, and how they talked _about_ each other’s achievements. It made him feel happy for Quinn, who he thought was always a little bit guarded with everyone. Seeing her with Rachel now, Jal realized that there was so much more to Quinn than the serious actress-slash-writer he knew.

It was almost half an hour before the two people they were waiting for finally arrived. Kurt Hummel got there first. He looked Jal up and down when they were introduced, then declared that he wasn’t gay in dismay. When Santana Lopez finally joined them, she frowned at Jal and asked, somewhat rudely, who he was. Jal learned that Santana Lopez was a legal aid at some big law firm while Kurt Hummel was a fashion designer. Apart from Santana’s dismissiveness, the only odd thing Jal found about them was the difference in their careers to Quinn and Rachel’s. After all, people in similar fields were the ones who usually hung out together.

Then it came time to pay the check, and Jal realized that Quinn’s high school friends were actually insane. Quinn and Rachel fought over the check for several minutes, neither of them backing down, until Santana Lopez pulled Quinn into a loose stranglehold and put a hand over her mouth. Rachel proceeded to berate Santana for her violence even as she hurriedly handed her credit card over to the waiter. While this was happening, Kurt Hummel calmly ate his dessert as though this was normal behavior for grown-ups in an upscale restaurant.

Thankfully, Santana let Quinn go once the waiter left with Rachel’s credit card. And as Rachel fussed over Quinn, all the while giving her an unapologetic smile for getting to pay their dinner, Jal finally understood why Quinn had been so adamant on filming their movie in New York.

 

* * *

 

**_Instagram post by user qfab__ **

**Photo:** _[the New York City skyline at night]_  
**Caption:** these vagabond shoes…

 

* * *

  

**_A post on Twitter_ **

**@quinnfab_:** Details on my upcoming movie with @irenekohler and @jalrana: _[link to article]_. Follow @ontrackmovie to stay tuned.

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** Quinn posted the details on the project she’s working on with Irene Kohler and Jal Rana: _[link to article]_. It’s a movie called “On Track”, but she’s not the director like we thought. She wrote the screenplay and will play the lead, while Jal Rana is directing.

**Guest 2:** yes! we can still see her face  <3

**Guest 3:** I didn’t know she could write?

**Guest 1:** She’s been keeping a blog for years. She hasn’t updated it in a while, but she was very eloquent in the articles she used to write about European cities. This is definitely not a surprise. :)

**Guest 4:** So they’re filming in New York. It looks like she’ll be there for a while instead of just for the opening of her friend’s show like we thought.

**Guest 1:** We weren’t very far off in our speculations. :)

 

* * *

 

**_A post on Twitter_ **

**@RachelBerry:** Clueless the Musical opens in previews exactly a week from now! Who’s excited!? :) :D \o/  
**@RachelBerry:** But first... dress rehearsals! @lyssvincent _[attached photo of herself wearing a plaid yellow skirt, vest, and jacket; beside her is the actress playing Dionne, wearing a plaid black and white ensemble, with a very conspicuous hat]_  
**@lyssvincent:** @RachelBerry costumes on fleek! ...that hat tho :D

 

* * *

 

**Kurt**

He waited excitedly for the show to start. They were in a small auditorium, and one of the final dress rehearsals for _Clueless the Musical_ was about to be run. This particular dress rehearsal was open to anyone invited by the production’s cast and crew.

The excited chatter of proud friends and family members filled the auditorium. Kurt looked around him happily, smiling at anyone who caught his eye. They were all sharing in the anticipation of a show that was being brought to life by someone close to them.

As a friend of the show’s very star, Kurt was given a seat close to the stage facing right at it. Quinn was sitting silently beside him.

They were the only ones present for Rachel. Santana had been invited, but she didn’t want to watch a show when it was “not done yet”, her words. Jesse was busy with his workshop so he wasn’t able to come.

Kurt wondered at Jesse’s decisions. Kurt himself was juggling a job as a costume designer for the TV show _DestiNY_ while managing his own fashion boutique. Quinn was leading the production of a movie. Yet, unlike Jesse, they’d both taken time off from their work to be here for Rachel’s show. Granted, Rachel hadn’t seemed upset when she’d informed Kurt that Jesse wouldn’t be able to come, but Kurt thought that he still should have done so.

The director of _Clueless_ strode to the middle of the stage and announced that they would be starting soon, pulling Kurt from his thoughts. The chatter started to die down and a few minutes later, the lights of the auditorium dimmed, signalling the start of the dry-run.

It went rather well, in Kurt’s opinion.

Rachel was adorable as well-meaning but naive heiress Cher Horowitz. Her voice was flawless. She had great chemistry with her fellow actors, particularly the ones playing Josh and Dionne. And she had impeccable comic timing, something Kurt had learned when he saw her in _Funny Girl_ several years ago.

Quinn giggled at most of Rachel’s spoken lines. It was very disconcerting, having a giddy Quinn Fabray sitting next to Kurt. He did his best to ignore her, but the choked noise that escaped her when Rachel came out in the white Calvin Klein dress served to distract him further. Thankfully, she’d sat in stunned amazement during Rachel’s solos, letting Kurt enjoy them for himself as well.

The musical itself was delightful. The songs were a mix of catchy nineties tunes and attention-grabbing original music. Some of them were funny, others made Kurt want to dance, and a couple left him teary-eyed. The costumes mostly mirrored those from the original movie and even though the hat “Dionne” was wearing kept falling off, Rachel and her onstage best friend pulled them off quite well.

There were a few mistakes, miscues, and forgotten lines, but none of them were from Rachel. She was already perfect, and the audience knew it. Her name received the most cheers when they’d introduced the key cast and crew members after the show.

After the introductions and a few speeches, one of which came from Rachel herself, the cast and crew climbed down the stage and intermingled with their friends and family in the audience. Kurt and Quinn moved over to the aisle and stood waiting for Rachel, who kept having to stop for people who wanted to talk to her.

Eventually, Rachel managed to reach them. “So,” she began, smiling widely, “how was I?”

“You were brilliant, Rach,” Quinn complimented her sincerely. “You had me in stitches throughout most of it.”

Rachel sighed in relief. “Oh good. I was mostly worried about that. I wasn’t sure that I could deliver the punchlines correctly.”

“You definitely had the comedy down pat,” Kurt reassured her. “And you were very adorable in your costumes.”

Beside him, Quinn nodded in agreement. Rachel glanced at her and, if possible, smiled even wider.

“I won’t ask about my singing because I already know it was perfect,” Rachel said confidently. Quinn chuckled, and she gazed up at the blonde with challenge in her eyes. “So, is it better than _Emma_?”

“Well…” Quinn hedged, “it’s definitely better than _Clueless_ the movie. You gave Alicia Silverstone a run for her money.”

“Thank you, Quinn, but that was not what I was asking,” Rachel said primly.

“They’re too different to compare?”

“You don’t think it’s better than _Emma_ ,” Rachel accused playfully, her lips curling into a familiar pout.

Quinn smiled coyly for a moment before giving in. “It’s as good as, it’s as good as,” she reassured Rachel. “ _Emma_ has Jane Austen’s words, this one has the music.”

“Well, it’s only the rehearsals,” Rachel said airily. “Just you wait, I’ll completely convert you to this adaptation yet. I’m going to make it my mission to make you like the musical more than the book.”

“Oh, I look forward to that,” Quinn returned, smirking.

For a moment the two of them just grinned at each other until Rachel asked, “What was your favorite song?”

“ _I May Have Lost My Heart_ ,” Quinn replied, meaning Rachel’s last solo. “You sang so beautifully, Rach.”

Rachel’s wide grin turned into a gentler smile. “Thank you, Quinn,” she replied softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears with her left hand.

Kurt noticed that she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring, but he wasn’t surprised because she’d just been through dress rehearsals. He knew that she even took it off during normal rehearsals, sometimes forgetting to put it back on like on the night of Quinn’s welcome dinner.

Rachel and Quinn were now gazing at each other, seemingly having forgotten about Kurt and everyone else around them.

Kurt sighed internally. He recalled Rachel’s extreme reactions after learning, from Quinn herself, that Quinn was gay and dating some French photographer who was so gorgeous that Kurt wished he was straight the first time he saw a picture of her. Then Rachel had learned from Santana that she’d slept with Quinn in college. That had been years ago, but Kurt could never forget how much Rachel’s life had been thrown off kilter with those information. She’d been unfocused and distracted for months, and even made several rash decisions.

It wasn’t until Rachel started working on _Havisham_ , with its demands and challenges, that she’d managed to regain her balance, so to speak. That had also been when she’d met Jesse again, and after almost a year of pursuit from him they’d begun dating.

Kurt had almost forgotten about that time in Rachel’s life until now, with Quinn staying around for more than an overnight visit. Rachel and Quinn had religiously kept in contact when Quinn had been in Europe, but their relationship had remained strictly platonic then. Kurt suspected that Quinn’s presence here in New York could change things.

It was probably -- no, definitely -- a good thing that Jesse didn’t come to see the rehearsals.

 

* * *

 

**_Instagram post by user kurthummel_fashion_ **

**Photo:** _[himself and Rachel, with arms around each other’s waist, smiling at the camera with a poster of_ ** _Clueless_** _behind them]_  
**Caption:** At the invitation-only dress rehearsal of Clueless the Musical. I can’t wait for you all to see this! :D [_*o] @qfab_

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** clueless opens in previews next week! ahhh, I’m so excited! who else is going to watch it?

**Guest 2:** I’m going. The tickets are cheaper and I can’t wait to see her.

**Guest 1:** she was so adorable in that dress rehearsals pic she posted with Alyssa. my heart actually melted.

**Guest 3:** I already have tickets to the actual opening night, so I’ll just wait for that. I’m sure they will be making changes still during the previews. I want to see the finished product. :)

**Guest 2:** I already have tickets for the opening night too, but it’s always cool to see the previews. That’s just me though. :)

**Guest 3:** Let us know how it goes. :)

**Guest 2:** Definitely. :D


	10. Clue

**_A post on Twitter_ **

**@RachelBerry:** 1- When you live at a place long enough it seems to lose its luster.   
**@RachelBerry:** 2- Then you see it through different eyes and it shines with a brand new glow. I  <3 NY :)

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She looked up as the door to the apartment swung open and Quinn walked in. She’d been out the whole day with Rachel, ostensibly to check out the locations Rachel had recommended for her movie based on her descriptions. Jal, the movie’s director, hadn’t been with them so Santana wondered if their day out had really been about that.

Quinn shot a smile at Santana, who was talking on the phone, then gave her a questioning look. “Is that Brit?” Quinn asked. “Hi Brit,” she said loudly.

“Hi Q!” Brittany greeted back, shouting at the phone and directly into Santana’s ear.

Santana pulled the phone away with a grimace, then scowled when Quinn laughed before going into her room.

“I’m gonna talk to her,” Santana said to Brit when Quinn closed her door, continuing the conversation they’d been having before Quinn had arrived.

“San, don’t,” Brit warned. “Let her figure it out on her own.”

“We’ve been letting her ‘figure it out’ by herself since forever, and look where she’s at with Rachel: _nowhere_.”

“She’ll get there,” Brit replied.

“Not fast enough,” Santana insisted. Rachel was getting married in five months. She didn’t want another repeat of that attempted wedding that should never be mentioned again.

“San,” Brit said.

“Brit,” Santana replied.

A few moments passed where they just listened to each other breathing, then Brit finally said, “Alright, but be _nice_.”

Santana almost laughed at that. “Babe, Quinn doesn’t respond to ‘nice’.”

“Unless you’re Rachel,” Brit pointed out.

Santana did laugh at that, but immediately stopped short when the door to Quinn’s bedroom began to open. “Quinn’s coming out her room,” Santana whispered. “I have to go.”

“Fine,” Brit finally conceded. “Be good.”

“I’m always good,” Santana flirted.

Brit giggled, and Santana couldn’t help but smile. “Go,” Brit prompted. “I love you.”

“Love you, too. Bye.”

Santana pocketed her phone and turned to Quinn, who had already changed into more comfortable clothes and was tying her hair into a loose ponytail.

“You two didn’t have to stop talking on my account,” Quinn said as she plopped down on the opposite end of the couch where Santana was sitting. She turned the TV on and started scanning the channels.

Santana already knew that, but she had something important to do. “How was your day with Rachel?” she asked nonchalantly, ignoring Quinn’s statement. “Were you able to find good locations for your movie?”

Quinn glanced curiously at her before answering. “Yeah. We went to this small art gallery owned by a friend of hers. I think we might use that for a scene in the movie.”

“Hmm,” Santana said, suddenly realizing that she didn’t know how to casually segue into a topic. Shrugging internally, she decided to go with her usual tact -- or lack thereof. “You’re still in love with Rachel, aren’t you?”

Quinn paused in her scanning for TV channels, then after a moment and without looking away, continued with her task as though Santana hadn’t said anything. Santana eyed her warily, waiting for the blowup. They’d rarely ever talked about Quinn’s feelings for Rachel -- and not since Quinn went to Europe -- and when they did, they’d only ever alluded to it. This was the first time Santana explicitly brought it up.

Santana knew she was risking Quinn’s ire, but it had been _years_ , and it was time that Quinn owned up to it so that they could finally, properly talk about it.

The blowup did not come. Instead, Quinn continued scanning the channels until she arrived on one that was airing an old episode of the TV show _DestiNY_. She put down the TV remote then looked at Santana with an unreadable expression on her face.

“What’s your point?” Quinn asked evenly.

Santana stared at her, eyes wide in amazement. “You’re not denying it.”

“It’s not like you didn’t know,” Quinn grumbled as she looked back to the TV.

Santana leaned forward to get a better view of Quinn’s expression. “Yes, but you’ve never admitted it out loud. Not ever.”

“I just--” Quinn began, playing with a loose thread on the couch’s arm. “I don’t know…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath then letting it out in a big sigh.

Santana decided to take pity on her.

“You know Rachel feels the same way, right?” she pointed out. Quinn turned her head away so that Santana could not see her expression. “She’s not exactly subtle. She gave me the cold shoulder for a month when she found out about us sleeping together.”

Quinn turned her head back so fast Santana worried she might have cricked her neck. She picked up the remote control, put the TV on mute, then looked back at Santana.

“You _told_ her about that?” Quinn demanded irritably.

Santana rolled her eyes. “Yes,” she said unapologetically. “She talked to me a few days after you came out to her and it came up. I thought you’d already told her everything.”

That had been years ago, but Santana still found herself grimacing at the aftermath of that conversation. Rachel hadn’t talked to Santana for almost a month. Granted, Santana had said some not so nice things to her. She’d regretted her words almost immediately, not only for the devastated look on Rachel’s face but also for how Rachel had reacted afterwards. She’d learned then that for Rachel, there was a marked difference between not talking and _not talking_. The woman certainly knew how to give the coldest of cold shoulders.

Santana hadn’t told Quinn about that incident when it had happened. Quinn had already been dating Camille Mansouri, the gorgeous French photographer whom she’d met while filming her second movie. Rachel herself had still been with Daniel Wright at the time. Santana hadn’t wanted to tell Quinn that Rachel _might_ have feelings for her when it had seemed that she had finally moved on with someone else and Rachel was still with the man that Quinn had truly believed had been perfect for her.

“Rachel didn’t tell me she knew,” Quinn said, her ire deflating.

“Yeah, well, for two supposedly close friends, you don’t really talk about relationship stuff, do you?” Santana pointed out. “I wonder why that is,” she added sarcastically.

Quinn looked down, unable to form a reply to that.

“Just tell her how you feel already,” Santana said simply. “Don’t sit around waiting for who knows what.”

It was a no-brainer, really, but Brit had been right about Quinn. The woman was one of the smartest people Santana knew, but she had always been rather stupid about Rachel.

Quinn looked up and started gesturing helplessly. “I can’t-- I can’t just--”

“Oh, come on,” Santana interrupted her stammering. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t come here to New York to finally tell Rachel how you feel.”

“I came here to film a movie,” Quinn protested. “I don’t want to film in London, and I already told you that Irene didn’t agree to Frankfurt.”

“Yeah, but New York, really, when you’re supposedly on a budget?” Santana said disbelievingly. “You told me yourself that you’d had to convince your co-producers to film here,” she added pointedly.

Quinn had no response to that.

“So cut the crap already, Q,” Santana continued. “You’re here in New York because Rachel’s here. And that’s _good_ ,” she said fervently. It meant that Quinn was finally ready to face how she felt instead of running away like she’d always done. “But don’t stop there. You need to actually _talk_ to her instead of just sniffing around hoping that something will happen.”

Quinn had always been very circumspect when it came to Rachel. For years she had come and gone through New York, dropping whatever obligations she’d had in whatever place she’d happened to be living in, just to be there for Rachel when the brunette had been having some struggles early in her career, and later on to attend Rachel’s opening nights when her career had blossomed. Quinn went beyond what a friend would do in her actions, yet she had never actually let Rachel know in words.

“Quit half-assing it,” Santana told her firmly. “Whole-ass it.”

“ _You’re_ a whole ass,” Quinn said petulantly as she crossed her arms and glared at the TV.

“Oh, very mature and eloquent,” Santana said sarcastically, annoyed that that was the only thing Quinn seemed to take from her speech.

Quinn took on a grave expression. “I get what you’re saying, Santana,” she said, glancing back at her. “But she’s getting married to someone else.”

“So? You need to woman up. Where’s that high school Quinn who kept trying to convince Rachel not to get married?”

“That was different,” Quinn protested. “Finn was never good enough for her. But Jesse--” she paused, clearing her throat, “Jesse’s her equal in practically every way. He can give her something _I_ can’t -- the Broadway lovers drama, the on stage and off stage couple. People love them. I can’t give that to her.”

“It doesn't matter what ‘people’ think,” Santana said, wondering who those people are. “ _She_ doesn’t want to marry him.”

“They’re _engaged_.”

“Yes, but--”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Quinn bit out forcefully, her jaws tight.

“Q--”

“Santana,” Quinn said evenly, her voice frosty and her eyes cold.

Santana knew this Quinn, and she knew better than to push further. She sat back and raised her hands in surrender, but she couldn’t help but throw in one last shot.

“Just think about what I said,” Santana told Quinn.

Ignoring her, Quinn picked up the remote again and turned up the volume on the TV.

 

* * *

 

**Jesse**

He looked up from his notes on the show he was workshopping when he heard the doorknob jingling. The door swung open and Rachel walked in, carrying a small paper bag. It was her last day off from rehearsals until _Clueless_ opened in previews. She’d been out all day, informing Jesse earlier that morning that she was helping Quinn Fabray with some things for her indie movie.

“Hey,” he greeted, putting aside his notes as Rachel walked further inside.

“Hi,” she replied with a bright smile.

“What’s that?” he asked curiously, gesturing at the paper bag she was holding.

Rachel paused mid-step, hesitating, then moved on. “Oh, Quinn let me borrow this,” she said, taking out a book from the paper bag. She held the front out for Jesse to see, and he read _Emma_ written across the cover. “It’s the book that _Clueless_ is based on.”

“I thought _Clueless_ was based on the movie,” Jesse said.

“It is, but the movie is a modern-day adaptation of this Jane Austen classic,” Rachel replied.

“Oh,” Jesse said. He’d read a few Shakespearean plays and several popular books, but he wasn’t really _that_ into them.

Rachel gave him a small smile. “I’ll leave you to your notes,” she said, eyeing the papers strewn across the coffee table in front of him.

With that, Rachel walked past him and headed towards the guest bedroom. Jesse watched her retreating form until she closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, a slow series of notes, muffled by the closed door, started streaming from the room.

Jesse watched the closed guest room door thoughtfully. Ever since Rachel came back from Lima from the holidays, she’d taken to retreating to the guest room, where she kept her electronic keyboard. She was rarely in the apartment because of her rehearsals with _Clueless_ , but whenever she was around she would hole herself up in the guest room and play one song to another on the keyboard. Sometimes, she would even play notes that were unrecognizable to him, melodies that were her own composition. At other times, she would just play recorded songs, not even singing along to them.

He knew better than to bother Rachel when she was in the guest room “centering herself with music” -- those were her words from more than a year ago, when they first moved in together -- but lately it seemed to be the only thing she was interested in doing around the apartment. Sometimes, she would even fall asleep in the guest room, not bothering to join him in their own bedroom. And -- he didn’t know if it was normal, if it happened to other couples too -- they hadn’t even been intimate since she came back from Lima, since before that really.

Jesse would ask her about it -- not about them being intimate because he didn’t know how to broach that topic, but about her seemingly no longer being present around him -- but he knew he had no leg to stand on. He’d been so busy with the workshop for his show that he hadn’t even gone to any of her rehearsals, and he was pretty sure he would miss the first night of previews for _Clueless_ as well. On top of that, he hadn’t even been able to focus on their wedding plans. Neither of them have, really. It was only five months away and they’d had very little planned. They were both simply too busy.

He wondered if Rachel’s odd behavior was caused by her busy schedule. She was probably really tired after rehearsals, especially in the past week with previews just around the corner. Jesse would be the first to admit that he hadn’t been around to support her because of his own busy schedule. He couldn’t blame her for turning to music to reinvigorate herself. That was something they had in common, after all.

Still, Jesse resolved to be better about being around to support Rachel’s show. He couldn’t change his schedule to be able to attend the first night of previews, but he was determined to make up for it on her show’s actual opening night.

As for the wedding, he was beginning to admit to himself that they had scheduled it too soon. They were both simply too busy with their respective projects to focus on the planning. He realized now that they would have to postpone it to a later date. He hoped Rachel would agree to that.

 

* * *

 

**_Instagram post by user rachberry_ **

**Photo:** _[herself, standing between Quinn and Kurt]_  
**Caption:** So happy to have these two here for the first night of previews for “Clueless the Musical”. :) @qfab_ @kurthummel_fashion

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** Did anyone here go to see Clueless for the first preview night? How was it? :) I’m all the way here in CA, so I couldn’t go, unfortunately. :(

**Guest 2:** It was great! There were a few mistakes and I wasn’t really feeling a couple of the songs, but the whole thing was really good overall. Rachel was pretty awesome, and her song numbers were great. She and Charlie Fielding had great chemistry too :)

**Guest 3:** they always did have good chemistry, even during havisham when he took over for st james. (no, i don’t ship it)

**Guest 1:** Do you think Clueless could go to Broadway? I want Rachel to get nominated and win the Tony for Best Actress.

**Guest 2:** It’s too early to tell, but I hope so. Once it goes to Broadway, I’m sure that Rachel is a shoo in for a nomination, at the very least. I still think that Havisham’s the best she’s done though.

**Guest 1:** Yeah, I still get goosebumps when listening to Havisham’s soundtrack. Too bad Rachel’s too young to play the lead, but she and Lea S. were amazing. Jesse not so much.

**Guest 3:** lmao

**Guest 4:** so, speaking of Jesse St. James, do you know if he was there last night?

**Guest 2:** I don’t think so, but please let’s not start with the unfounded speculations again.

**Guest 3:** jesse who? don’t you guys know that rachel and charlie are meant to be? even their names are only, like, one letter apart. (i’m kidding. don’t get all defensive stberry shippers.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you noticed the real person being mentioned in this chapter and wondered why I only used the initial of her last name, that's because I'm paranoid about people finding this story by searching real people's names. Crazy, I know. But like I said, I'm paranoid. So whenever you notice a person's last name being initialed when it doesn't make sense in the context of the dialogue/sentence, then it's safe to assume that the person is real.


	11. Turn

**Santana**

She opened the door to the apartment and was unsurprised to find it empty. She’d just come back from a long day at work. Quinn, she assumed, was still out with Rachel.

_Clueless_ had started previews two weeks ago, but today the show was dark. It was a Monday, but Quinn had somehow gotten Jal, the director of the movie she was making, to agree to move their days off from Sunday so that she could hang out with Rachel. Santana didn’t know what Quinn was doing, but she had resolved to stop meddling. For the moment, at least.

Santana took off her jacket to hang it on the coat rack, stopping short when she saw Quinn’s jacket already there.

“Quinn?” she called out, but it was only met with silence.

She hung her jacket on the hook beside Quinn’s then started for her room, stopping by Quinn’s bedroom door on the way.

“Quinn?” she tried again. Still no reply.

A cursory twist of the knob told her that the door was locked, but it prompted a response.

“Go away, Santana,” Quinn finally called from her room. Her voice sounded hoarse.

“Are you alright?” Santana called.

Quinn remained silent.

“Q, what’s going on?” Santana asked. She knocked on the door and said, “Hey, let me in.”

“Go away,” Quinn said again.

“Q--”

“Santana. Please just go.”

Quinn’s tone was pleading. Santana didn’t really have a choice. She heaved out a big sigh then stepped away from Quinn’s door.

This was clearly about Rachel, but Santana couldn’t figure out what could possibly have happened between them to make Quinn behave like a stubborn child. They hadn’t had a fight or even a minor argument since, well, since high school. Santana thought about texting Rachel, but immediately decided against it. For all she knew, Rachel was locked up in her room being stubborn as well.

Shaking her head, Santana proceeded to her bedroom and started calling her wife. Brit would want to know what was happening.

 

* * *

 

**Jesse**

He opened the door to his and Rachel’s apartment and was immediately greeted by darkness. He frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.

A slit of light was streaming out from the guest room through the gap under the closed door, and a sad, mournful tune was coming from it.

“Rachel?” Jesse called out as he turned on the lights.

The music stopped, leaving a sad note in its wake. The door to the guest room opened and Rachel walked out.

“Hey,” Jesse greeted, taking off his scarf and jacket and hanging them on the rack by the door. “How was your day?”

He made a beeline for the cupboards and looked for something to snack on. Dinner had been a few hours ago and he was absolutely starving. They’d had a long and productive day of workshop, but it had been quite exhausting.

“Jesse,” Rachel called.

Her tone gave him pause. He stopped rummaging around the cupboards and turned his attention to her.

Rachel was now standing in the middle of their living room, hands together and fingers fidgeting nervously. She was wearing the gravest expression Jesse had ever seen on her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Rachel opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came out of her mouth. Worried, Jesse started walking towards her, but he’d only gone a couple of steps when she finally spoke up.

“I don’t think we should get married.”

“Oh,” Jesse said, shoulders sagging in relief. Rachel could get _really_ dramatic sometimes. “Yeah, I know, honey. It’s less than five months away and we’ve got practically nothing planned!”

“That’s not--”

“We really should have known better than to schedule a wedding on a busy year for both of us.”

“I don’t--”

“We can reschedule it for later this year,” he suggested. “Or even next year. Hopefully, I’ll have--”

“No, Jesse,” Rachel interrupted loudly. “That’s not what I meant,” Rachel continued. “I don’t-- I don’t want to get married _at all_.”

Jesse frowned slightly, trying to process what she was saying. “What-- what do you mean?” he asked with a nervous chuckle.

Rachel just looked at him helplessly.

Jesse tried to understand. “Is there-- are we trying to make a statement?” he asked. Were there still people in the country that couldn’t get married that she wanted to support?

Rachel shook her head vigorously. “No,” she said, sounding frustrated. “I don’t want--” She stopped, took a deep breath, and visibly tried to calm herself. “Jesse, I don’t want to marry you.”

He gaped at her. He let out several short disbelieving laughs, hoping it was a joke, but Rachel wasn’t laughing with him.

“What-- what are you saying, Rachel?”

Her grave expression and the fingers fidgeting with her engagement ring started to register.

“I--” Rachel began, then let out a breath. “I can’t be with you.”

Jesse let out a humorless chuckle. “No,” he said in denial. “No, you don’t mean that, Rachel.”

Rachel opened her mouth, but she seemed unable to form words. She just continued to look helplessly at him. Jesse suddenly felt like the ground was being pulled from under his feet. He looked around for a nearby chair, but he was not so lucky. He settled for leaning a hand against the counter.

Several questions ran through his mind and he struggled to catch them until one formed coherently enough to be grasped.

“But you said yes,” he reminded her. “You agreed to marry me when I proposed.”

“Jesse,” Rachel said, looking plaintively at him. “I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head and pushed himself off the kitchen counter. He started pacing around the living room, Rachel following his movements with her eyes.

“I don’t-- I don’t understand,” Jesse said. “Did I--” he stopped pacing and faced Rachel. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” she replied immediately. “No, you didn’t.”

“Because I can cut my hours at the workshop,” Jesse continued, not hearing her. “Is that it? Is that what you want? I know I’ve been neglecting us lately, but I promise, I can make time again as soon as we present the show to our initial backers. It’s less than a week from now. I can--”

“Jesse,” Rachel interrupted, sounding pained. “That’s not why.”

He looked up at her, grimacing at the pain spreading in his chest, trying to find something in her expression that could answer his questions. “Then why--?”

For the first time that night, Rachel looked away from Jesse. A sinking realization began to settle on him as their interactions from the past two months ran through his head.

“There’s someone else,” he said.

Rachel’s eyes snapped back to him. “It’s not what you think,” she said.

Jesse didn’t believe her. “Who is it?”

He knew that Rachel had run into _Finn Hudson_ when she went back to Lima during the holidays. If it was him, Jesse would do everything in his power to make him suffer. But he knew Rachel was smarter than she’d been in high school. She would never choose Finn Hudson over him.

What if it was Daniel Wright? _Perfect Daniel Wright_. Jesse had never actually met the man, but he knew that Rachel’s fathers liked him. Jesse knew that he was living right here in New York. But he also knew that Daniel Wright never got under Rachel’s skin, and she would never go back to him.

Was it someone new?

Jesse stopped short as his eyes landed on a few shopping bags sitting by an end table. He remembered Rachel telling him that she’d be hanging out with Quinn the whole day. Lying innocently on top of the table was a book, with the title “ _Emma_ ” spelled out on the cover. He remembered Rachel talking excitedly about how Quinn had recommended it to her. He remembered a conversation they’d had about sexuality.

He swayed on the spot, feeling faint.

“It’s Quinn,” he choked out as he felt his heart start to constrict. “Isn’t it?”

“Jesse--”

“ _God_ ,” he groaned loudly, remembering how Rachel had been _so_ happy at the news that Quinn was coming to New York. “I’m so stupid,” he said angrily.

Jesse raised his hands and balled them into fists. He remembered all the seemingly insignificant moments that had flown over his head. Jesse buried his face in his hands, and it was all he could do not to claw at it.

“I’m _so_ stupid,” he said again, gazing at Rachel with all the betrayal he was feeling. “I should have known. I should have _known_.”

He remembered Rachel looking ecstatic at seeing Quinn during the opening for _Havisham_ . He remembered how much Rachel wanted to have _Quinn_ at the awards ceremony when she’d gotten a Tony nomination for the show. He remembered Rachel talking to Quinn on the _night he’d proposed_.

“You were always so-- so _obsessed_ with her,” he accused. “I should have _known_ ,” he said again. “You told me you were straight with ‘probably’ a few exceptions, and I didn’t care about that because you were with _me_ , but it isn’t _probably_ is it?” he demanded. “It’s a _very definite_ exception, and that’s _Quinn_ , and--”

How could he even hope to compare? How could anyone? Finn Hudson, Daniel Wright, _anyone else_ , he knew he could compete with them in Rachel’s eyes. But Quinn _fucking_ Fabray. He’d always known, at the back of his mind, that Rachel cared about that woman more than she did anyone else. He’d never associated that with her sexuality, and the possibility that she could be attracted to her.

It was over.

“Why did you even say yes?” he asked faintly. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes.

Rachel opened her mouth again. “Jesse--”

“No, shut up,” he cut her off, shaking his head. “Stop saying my name.”

Rachel shut her eyes tightly. Jesse glared at her even as he wiped at the tears that was starting to stream down his face.

“You know what’s funny,” he said shakily when he found his voice again. “You’re the one doing a show called _Clueless_ , but _I’m_ the one who hasn’t gotten a clue until tonight.”

With that, Jesse stormed out of their apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. The loud bang didn’t make him feel any better. Rachel was the one standing at an empty apartment, but he was still the one getting left behind.

 

* * *

 

**Kurt**

He groaned when he heard the knocks on his apartment door. He was already in bed and about to drift off to sleep. The knocking continued, unmindful of his need for a good night’s rest. He forced himself out of bed with another groan and stomped irritably out of his bedroom and towards the apartment door.

He flung the door open, not bothering to turn on the lights.

His irritation immediately disappeared at the sight of Rachel standing with her shoulders hunched before him. The lights from the hallway cast shadows on her face, but he could still make out the red-rimmed eyes and the big pout she was wearing.

“Rachel?” he said, confused. He caught sight of the small pink suitcase she’d brought with her. “What--?”

“I broke up with Jesse,” she said in a small voice.

“Oh,” Kurt said, his sleepiness gone in an instant.

He stepped back to let Rachel in. Pulling her suitcase along, she trudged past him and plopped herself heavily on his couch. Kurt turned on the living room lights, closed the door, then took a seat beside her.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Kurt prompted gently when Rachel remained silent.

That Rachel broke up with Jesse wasn’t exactly surprising. Rachel had seemed hesitant about their wedding -- and with Jesse himself -- from the moment he’d proposed. Kurt had even kept wondering if Rachel would call off their engagement. Then Quinn and her girlfriend broke up _and_ Quinn came to New York, and the question of ‘if’ became one of ‘when’. Kurt wanted to know what finally made Rachel bite the bullet.

“Quinn,” Rachel began, “she-- she said that… she can’t stand knowing that I’m getting married to someone-- someone else again….”

Rachel’s voice tapered off as she started tearing up. Kurt looked around for a nearby box of tissues, but she was already taking out a clean wad of Kleenex from the pocket of the cotton jacket she was wearing.

Kurt watched her sympathetically while she wiped at her eyes.

He had suspected Quinn’s feelings for Rachel, but he hadn’t known for sure before. They weren’t exactly close friends and they’d never hung out regularly. But now that Quinn was in New York and he was paying close attention to how she acted towards Rachel, it didn’t even take Santana’s eye rolls and snarky comments to figure it out.

As for Rachel, she’d never admitted her feelings for Quinn out loud -- not even when she’d cried her heart out to Kurt after finding out, a few years after it had happened, that Quinn had slept with Santana -- but she’d never really needed to.

A few months after finding out about Quinn being gay and having slept with Santana, Rachel had broken up with Daniel Wright, her then boyfriend. Another few months after that, she had begun dating a tall, blonde, and hazel-eyed model who happened to be a _woman_. Kurt could still remember his shock when he’d found out. He’d barged into Rachel’s old apartment with some trivial gossip only to be greeted with the sight of her and a blonde woman kissing. The woman’s back was to him, and for a second he’d thought that it was Quinn Fabray until she’d turned around to face him.

The relationship, if it could be called that, lasted for less than a month. No one apart from Kurt had known about it. The model had been extremely closeted, and Rachel herself hadn’t wanted any of her friends or even her dads to find out. Kurt probably wouldn’t have known had he not caught them kissing. When he’d asked her, later, for an explanation, Rachel had only said that she had been “looking for something.” Something that, she’d admitted, she hadn’t been able to find.

After Rachel and Jesse had gotten together, Kurt had honestly believed that her feelings for Quinn, who’d been in Europe the entire time, had only been a quick burst of intense infatuation that had died down just as quickly. Kurt knew now that it had always been more than that.

“So it’s because of Quinn?” Kurt questioned, though he wasn’t really asking.

Rachel didn’t meet his eyes. “You must think I’m a horrible person.”

“What? No,” Kurt denied immediately. “Why would I think that?”

“Because I hurt Jesse,” Rachel said in a small voice, looking down. “I-- I was never certain about our future together, but I still agreed to marry him.”

“Oh, Rach,” Kurt said gently, “you’re not the first person to have made that mistake.” Kurt thought of his failed marriage with Blaine. They’d both entered into it without really thinking of its gravity. “At least you realized it before you’d already married him and had to get a divorce.”

_Or had to stand at a courthouse insisting for the whole wedding party to wait for Quinn only to have the woman end up in a car accident_ , he thought rather fatalistically, but he knew better than to say that out loud.

Rachel didn’t respond. She just continued to look down as she twisted the tissues in her hand. Kurt followed her line of sight to the bare ring finger of her left hand.

He felt it was his duty to ask, “Do you regret it?”

“No,” Rachel replied immediately, shaking her head. “Only that I hurt him,” she said, glancing up at Kurt. “And now, Quinn’s not even answering my calls,” she added, sounding close to tears again. She took out her phone -- also from her jacket pocket -- and pouted at it.

Kurt frowned in confusion. “Okay, what exactly happened?”

“I-- I showed her around mine and Jesse’s apartment, and she-- she got upset,” Rachel explained stiltedly. “She said-- she said that… that she thought she could stand to be around when I’m with someone else, but that she really couldn’t and I-- she just left. She wouldn’t even let me stop her. I didn’t even realize until now that….”

Rachel trailed off, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m not oblivious. These past few weeks, I kind of figured -- _hoped_ \-- that she might have feelings for me. I know I’ve never said it in so many words before, but I know you know,” Rachel said, glancing up at Kurt. “I’ve always been-- she’s always been my… she’s been _everything_ to me, but I didn’t want… I didn’t know how to end it with Jesse without hurting him. I didn’t realize how much it was hurting _her_ that I was with him. I would have ended it with him long ago if I’d known….”

Rachel sniffled before adding, “Now she won’t talk to me.”

Kurt tried to make sense of Rachel’s teary-eyed narration. He figured that Quinn had finally admitted -- or possibly blurted out -- her feelings to Rachel, which in turn pushed Rachel to finally break up with Jesse. Kurt knew the only reason that Rachel wasn’t confronting Quinn right now was because she’d always been good at giving the other woman space. That didn’t seem to stop her from trying to contact Quinn through her phone, but of course Quinn was ignoring her calls.

Kurt let out a huge sigh. It was just like Quinn to make things even more difficult. He was suddenly overtaken with the desire to take the woman’s phone and hit her over the head with it. Of course he wouldn’t tell that to Rachel.

“She might already be sleeping now, Rach,” he said instead. Come to think of it, he was starting to get sleepy again. He looked up at the clock on the wall. “It’s already past midnight. Why don’t you give it a night’s rest?” he suggested, noticing Rachel’s exhaustion as well.  “You know better than I do how Quinn never reacts properly to emotional situations on the first go.” He paused, then added, half-joking, “Are you sure you want her?”

Rachel gave a watery laugh, but the fondness in her tone was all the answer he needed.

“I’m sure she’ll be ready to talk to you again tomorrow,” Kurt assured her.

Rachel seemed prepared to argue, but she deflated after a moment. “Can I stay here with you?” she asked in a small voice.

Kurt glanced at the pink suitcase she’d brought with her. “You don’t even have to ask,” he said sincerely.

 

* * *

 

**Jesse**

He carefully opened the door to the apartment and was met with silence and darkness. He slipped in quietly, closing the door behind him, and headed for the bedroom with growing trepidation in each step he took.

The bedroom was empty.

He forced himself forward and sank on the bed. That was when he noticed it on top of the nightstand.

It was the ring he’d given to Rachel. There was a note underneath, with a very short message.

_I’m sorry._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, apologies to Jesse St. James and Klaine shippers, especially to the Klaine shippers. I'm very sorry.


	12. Shift

**Jal**

He was at a railway yard with Quinn, checking out the contents of the different train cars scattered around it. They’d been surveying selected locations for the past few days, checking if the places would translate well on camera and trying to determine the right angles to shoot scenes in.

Today, they were looking for a car that would match the scene drawn up in their storyboard. Or at least Jal was. Quinn was standing off to one side, staring out of the car’s window, clearly deep in thought about something that had nothing to do with _On Track_ , the movie they were making.

“Q,” Jal called.

Quinn looked jerkily up at him. He gestured pointedly at the camera he was using to take videos of the train car interior. The train scene anchored the whole story and he knew that Quinn had very specific ideas about it. She needed to focus.

“Sorry,” Quinn said, walking closer to him.

Jal tilted his head to one side and looked questioningly at her. “Are you alright?” he asked. It was very unlike Quinn to be distracted and unfocused.

Quinn shook her head, as though to clear her thoughts. “Yeah,” she replied. “Sorry,” she said again. “I was just thinking of the arrival scene. We still need to figure out where to film that.”

She smiled apologetically at Jal then pulled out her own camera.

Jal watched Quinn as she looked around and started taking pictures. He wasn’t quite sure he believed her excuse. She looked like she hadn’t slept a wink and she’d arrived a few minutes late that morning. That had never happened before.

He decided to shrug off her strange behavior. They’d known each other for several years, but they’d never been close enough for him to pry. Maybe Quinn had just gone through a bout of insomnia. Those were terrible.

 

* * *

 

**Alyssa**   
aka “Dionne”

She smiled widely at Rachel as she stood beside her and waited for her turn with the wardrobe assistant. The night’s performance was going to start in less than an hour and they were both already in their first costume, but Alyssa needed her hat fixed and the assistant was adjusting something with Rachel’s yellow jacket.

Rachel smiled back, but her demeanor seemed off. She was missing her usual pep and excitement, instead seemingly carrying some nervous energy.

“You alright, bestie?” Alyssa asked, using the name she sometimes called Rachel, feeling that the situation called for it.

Of course, they weren’t really best friends, but Alyssa liked Rachel. She’d been workshopping with _Clueless_ as Dionne for a couple of years before Rachel came onboard, and Rachel was definitely her favorite Cher. It helped that Rachel was probably half the reason that _Clueless_ had finally gotten enough backers to finally be staged.

Rachel gave her a smile that came out almost like a grimace. “Yes,” she said, not entirely sincerely. “I’m just waiting for something,” she added with a glance to her phone, which lay silent on a nearby table.

The short and vague reply was very much unlike Rachel, who usually chattered with Alyssa whenever they ran into each other in the makeup or costume area. The two of them had the most wardrobe changes and malfunctions, so that happened quite a lot. They sometimes talked about their work experiences that led them to starring on _Clueless_ , but mostly they talked about things that interested them both, like the TV show _DestiNY_ or the hole-in-the-wall cafes and restaurants around the city. Just last week, Rachel had gushed about how beautiful New York was and how she’d forgotten that until recently.

Now, however, Rachel was unusually quiet. Alyssa could almost physically feel the anxiety that was coming off of Rachel in waves. After the wardrobe assistant finished fixing Rachel’s jacket, Rachel immediately picked up her phone and left with only a tight smile.

Alyssa wondered what was causing Rachel’s strange behavior. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t pre-show jitters since they were already in the middle of previews and the audience had really loved Rachel’s performances. Alyssa reckoned that it was probably something personal. She hoped that it would get resolved soon. She liked chattering away with Rachel.

 

* * *

 

**Jal**

He and Quinn were at a small art gallery where they’d be filming one of the scenes for _On Track_.

Quinn was still in the same strange mood she’d been in yesterday. Right now she was gazing unseeingly at one of the paintings on display. She’d already checked out the place a week ago with Rachel Berry, so Jal decided to let her be, focusing instead on his own task.

Jal was slowly panning his video camera around the gallery, taking a sweeping three-sixty degree view, when something in the LCD screen caught his attention. He looked up from his camera to stare confusedly at Rachel Berry herself.

Rachel entered the gallery, looked around until she caught sight of Quinn and Jal, then determinedly made a beeline for them.

“Uh, Q,” he called Quinn’s attention just in time for Rachel to stop in front of them.

Quinn looked at Jal questioningly, he pointed at Rachel, then Quinn turned in her direction and immediately seemed to tense.

“Rachel,” she said, sounding like she’d had to force out the word.

“Quinn,” Rachel replied, sounding almost wistful.

Jal looked curiously back and forth between the two women.

“You’ve been ignoring my calls,” Rachel said, her brows furrowing and her lower lip sticking out slightly.

Quinn started stammering a response. “I-- I-- I’ve been busy,” she said, gesturing vaguely around the gallery.

Jal narrowed his eyes at Quinn. It was true that they’d had a lot to do lately, but she shouldn’t be too busy to take a call. Besides, “busy” was a terrible excuse for anything.

Rachel seemed to be thinking along the same lines as well. Her frown deepened while her pout got even more pronounced.

“How-- how did you know where I’d be?” Quinn asked.

Rachel gave her a pointed look. “I recommended more than half of the places on your location list, and I know your schedule for when to check them out,” she said. “I would’ve come to you yesterday, but….” she trailed off, giving a helpless shrug. Her tone started to soften as she said, “Quinn, you can’t just drop what you said to me the other night then start avoiding me. We need to talk.”

Jal looked to Quinn for her response.

Quinn swallowed visibly and looked down. “I’m sorry,” she said regretfully. “I just--” she glanced up at Rachel then around the room, “I don’t know what else to say, Rach.”

Quinn’s tone was pitiful. Jal stared at her, his eyes widening.

“Quinn, I--” Rachel began, then stopped herself as she glanced at Jal. “Can we-- can we talk somewhere private?” she asked.

Quinn gazed at Rachel, opened her mouth, closed it, then nodded. “Yeah,” she finally agreed. “Now?”

“Yes,” Rachel replied. “ _Please_ ,” she added beseechingly.

Quinn looked around the gallery then gestured to a hallway that led to the bathrooms. Rachel nodded then turned on her heel, glancing back to make sure that Quinn followed her as she led the way to the women’s bathroom.

Jal stared at their retreating backs for a moment. Then he began to grimace as he realized what was causing Quinn’s odd behavior -- a fight with her girlfriend, of all things. Jal almost couldn’t believe it of them. Quinn and Rachel seemed like such a happy couple.

Quinn hadn’t actually come out and told him that she and Rachel were dating, but Jal wasn’t an idiot. One didn’t insist on filming in an expensive city or asked to have days off moved just for “a friend”.

He hoped Quinn and Rachel resolved whatever it was that they’d been fighting about. He didn’t want to have to deal with a moping Quinn any longer.

Jal returned to his task of taking a video of the gallery while he waited for Quinn and Rachel to come out of the bathroom. When he got done with that, he entertained himself by looking at the paintings on display, periodically checking to see if the two women had emerged.

He didn’t know how long he’d been waiting for them, but it wasn’t until another patron entered the bathroom that Quinn and Rachel came out of it. They headed for the gallery’s exit, smiling at each other, and seemingly having forgotten about him.

“Hey,” he called out, hurrying after them.

Quinn and Rachel stopped in their tracks and turned towards him. They both look flushed, their eyes shining. They definitely looked much happier than before.

“Jal,” Quinn said. “Rachel and I are going to have lunch,” she explained, glancing at the other woman with a smile. Rachel smiled back at her.

“Okay?” Jal said.

“I’ll just meet you at the park later?” Quinn said. “I’ll text you.”

“Uh, sure,” Jal said uncertainly.

Quinn grinned at him before looking back at Rachel again. They shared another smile then continued heading for the exit. Rachel waved and called out a “Bye, Jal,” to him, but Quinn didn’t even spare a backward glance.

Jal stared bemusedly after them until they disappeared behind the gallery’s door. “I’ll just have lunch alone then,” he muttered to himself.

 

* * *

 

**Alyssa**

She sat at the makeup table beside Rachel and was immediately greeted with a huge grin from the other actress. It was such a stark contrast from her mood of the previous night that Alyssa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Lyss!” Rachel said happily. “Hi!”

“Hi,” Alyssa said back automatically, though she was still slightly confused at Rachel’s drastic change in mood. “You seem happy,” she observed mildly as one of the makeup artists started on her face.

Rachel started to reply but she was distracted by a notification sound from her phone, which she’d been holding in her hands. She opened the phone and read what was clearly a text message, her smile taking on a dreamy quality. She typed out a response then looked back up at Alyssa.

“What was it that you said?” Rachel asked, her eyes twinkling.

Alyssa smirked. “What’s going on?” she asked, nodding at Rachel’s phone. “Share the good news, girl.”

“She’s been like this since she arrived,” the makeup artist working on Rachel told Alyssa conspiratorially.

“Shut it, Gina,” Rachel said half-heartedly. She couldn’t seem to stop herself from smiling.

Rachel’s phone alerted with another notification and she immediately opened it up, her smile widening as she read whatever message she’d received.

Alyssa looked questioningly at the makeup artists, who both shrugged. None of them had ever seen Rachel act this giddily before, which was actually saying something. Alyssa was very curious, but Rachel was ignoring all of them in favor of her phone. She decided not to question it for now. She was just glad that Rachel was back to her usual bright, smiling self again.

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She entered the apartment to the sight of Quinn sitting quietly on the couch, head bent down over something. Santana narrowed her eyes at Quinn as she hung her jacket on the coat rack.

This was the first time in two days that she’d seen Quinn. The woman had been making herself scarce ever since that night she’d locked herself up in her room. Santana would have left Quinn be, but her resolve to stop meddling had been broken yesterday by a message from Rachel asking if Quinn was at their apartment and a following message from Kurt explaining that Rachel had broken up with Jesse.

Quinn, however, had avoided all of them, leaving the apartment before Santana had woken up and coming in well after she’d fallen asleep. That was, if Quinn even came back to the apartment yesterday.

But Quinn was here now, and Santana was about to give her some serious talking to.

She hadn’t seemed to have noticed that Santana had arrived. Santana, seeing a good opportunity with that unsuspecting blonde head sticking out over the back of the couch, stalked up to Quinn and proceeded to smack the back of her head.

“Ow!” Quinn exclaimed. She snapped her head up to Santana, frowning. “What the fuck?” she said angrily, clutching at the spot Santana had hit.

“Quit being an immature idiot and talk to Rachel,” Santana demanded. “She has something to say to you.”

Quinn’s frown started to dissipate, though Santana could tell that she was valiantly trying to keep it on. “I know,” she said, trying to purse her lips, but they kept twitching up into a smile. “We talked this morning.”

“Oh,” Santana said. “So--”

She was interrupted by a notification sound from Quinn’s phone, which she’d been holding in her hand. Quinn looked down at the phone and read the incoming message before typing out a reply.

“Oh…” Santana said in realization as she observed the absolutely smitten expression on Quinn’s face. She slid on to the other end of the couch and smirked at her friend.

“That was Rachel,” Quinn said unnecessarily as she put her phone down on the couch beside her. She tried arranging her face into a neutral expression, but she was failing spectacularly at it if the stars in her eyes were anything to go by.

“I figured,” Santana said, her smirk widening. “So you know she dumped St. Piphead?” she asked rhetorically.

Quinn’s lips started curling up into a smile again. She tried to fight it back for a moment, but her efforts were in vain, and she eventually gave up. Her smile bloomed wide and bright across her face, her cheeks flushing.

“Yeah,” Quinn answered. “She--” Quinn paused, looking down at her hands, “she has feelings for me,” she breathed out, almost in wonderment.

“That’s what I’ve been telling you!” Santana exclaimed.

Quinn buried her head in her hands and started giggling. Santana gaped for a second then sniggered at her. She was really happy for Quinn, but also, Quinn looked sort of really ridiculous right now with her lovestruck expression and dreamy smile. Santana’s laughter gentled when she realized that she’d never seen Quinn this happy before.

Quinn’s phone alerted with another message. She picked it up to answer, the smile never leaving her face.

“So?” Santana prompted when Quinn put her phone down again. “Are you two dating now?”

Quinn furrowed her brows slightly. “We _just_ talked this morning,” she pointed out.

“And?”

“We haven’t-- we haven’t talked about that,” Quinn stammered out. “We just-- we cleared some things up, but there are still a lot of other things we need to talk about. I mean, she just broke up with Jesse. We’re--”

“If you say you’re ‘taking things slow’, I’m going to hit you over the head again,” Santana warned. If Quinn and Rachel went any slower, the current civilization would collapse before they got their shit together.

Quinn frowned at Santana as she rubbed the back of her head, seemingly having only just remembered about the hit she’d received earlier.

“I don’t want Rachel jumping into this so fresh off her last relationship,” Quinn said seriously. “I realize that-- I feel like we’ve been circling around each other for years. We _need_ to do this right.”

As if on cue, another notification sounded from Quinn’s phone. Her serious expression was immediately replaced with a smile as she read the message and sent a reply.

It was really kind of touching, seeing Quinn wearing that contented smile. She didn’t even seem to care that Santana had hit her on the head. Santana generously decided not to give her any shit -- for the time being.

“Just don’t take too long,” Santana said instead, standing up and walking around the back of the couch to pat Quinn’s shoulder lightly.

Quinn reflexively put a hand up to her head and tried to evade, suspiciously glancing up at Santana.

“I’m not going to hit you again,” Santana said amusedly. “But you did kind of deserve the last one,” she added as parting shot before heading for her bedroom to call Brittany and update her on what had happened.

 

* * *

 

**Kurt**

He stumbled out of his bedroom, blearily rubbing sleep out his eyes, and came upon the sight of Rachel preparing breakfast while singing _The Sound of Music_. The pullout couch she’d been sleeping on was already folded neatly back into place, and she was already dressed for a day out.

Rachel stopped mid-song as Kurt crossed the short distance from his bedroom door to the dining area.

“Good morning, Kurt,” she greeted brightly.

“Hi,” he replied sleepily.

Kurt sat down at the dining table and took a moment to appreciate the food laid out in front of him. Rachel had been preparing breakfast for the two of them for the past few days, and Kurt could definitely get used to it. Sure, she never cooked anything made of animal products, but the vegan breakfasts she prepared were delicious, and she always had a pot of heavenly-smelling coffee ready. Right now, Rachel was currently pouring said coffee onto a mug for him.

He looked up at Rachel and noted her happy smile. She’d texted him yesterday that she and Quinn had finally gotten to talk, but he hadn’t been able to get the details from her since she’d gotten held up at the theater last night.

“How did it go with Quinn yesterday?” he asked with a smirk.

Rachel’s smile widened and her eyes shone dreamily. “We talked,” she breathed out, sinking onto a chair across from Kurt.

He gave her a pointed look, relaying that he already knew that part.

“I told her that I broke up with Jesse,” Rachel began, “and that I-- I have feelings for her, and she--” Rachel let out a short laugh, “she seemed quite shocked about it. I asked her if she meant what she said a few days ago, about wanting to be with me, and she said yes and then we-- _we kissed._ ”

Kurt’s eyebrows raised at Rachel’s words and the starry sheen of her eyes.

“It was… it was _amazing,_ Kurt,” Rachel breathed out. “It was _wonderful_ ,” she added. “I don’t know if you-- I’ve always wanted-- it was just--” Rachel stopped and started as she tried to explain what she felt, but her words seemed to be failing her. Apparently giving up, Rachel bit her lip then said again, “It was just _wonderful_.”

Rachel stared off into space with a dreamy expression on her face when she finished talking. Kurt seized the chance to take a sip of his coffee -- it hadn’t seemed polite to do so while Rachel was gushing about Quinn.

“So what does this mean for you two?” Kurt asked after he’d had some coffee. “Are you… together now?”

“We haven’t really talked about it yet,” Rachel said, biting her lip. “We were in an art gallery, and we had to seclude ourselves in the bathroom to get some privacy, but then someone came in and--” at this, Rachel flushed slightly. “I mean, I really want to be with her but we’re…” Rachel trailed off, seemingly trying to find the right words.

“Taking things slow?” Kurt supplied. He could understand that. She did just break up with Jesse, after all.

“Not-- not exactly,” Rachel said. “I know I just broke up with Jesse, but it’s taken me and Quinn _years_ to get here. I don’t want to wait too long. We’re… we’re figuring things out. In fact, Quinn and I have a brunch date in--” she looked down at her watch, “--less than an hour. So,” she smiled up at Kurt, “I should get going, actually.”

Kurt finally noticed that Rachel wasn’t eating the breakfast she’d prepared, and he realized that the cute outfit she’d put on was maybe -- probably, definitely -- chosen with Quinn in mind.

He gave Rachel an understanding smile. “Well, don’t let me keep you.”

Rachel stood up immediately. “Thank you, Kurt,” she said brightly. “I will take my leave, now,” she added, backing out dramatically towards the door, where she promptly stumbled on the boots and shoes lined up by the doormat.

Managing to keep her balance, Rachel started putting on her boots and jacket, then moved to open the door.

“Have fun,” Kurt called out to her teasingly.

“I most definitely will,” Rachel answered happily.

“And don’t forget to give me updates!” Kurt added in a yell as she closed the door behind her.


	13. Interlude: Leroy

He is having breakfast with his husband when his phone starts ringing. He left it in the living room, but he knows from the ringtone that it’s Rachel who’s calling. He shares a curious look with Hiram before standing up to fetch his phone.

“Hi, baby girl,” he greets his daughter when he picks up the phone.

“Hi, Daddy,” Rachel greets back. She sounds nervous.

“What’s going on?” Leroy asks with a frown as he goes back to the dining room, where Hiram meets his eyes with a worried look.

“Is Dad there with you?” Rachel asks. “I have something that I need to tell you both.”

“Yes, hold on,” Leroy says, putting his phone on the dining table and switching it to speaker. He gives Hiram a look to convey what Rachel asked.

“Hey, baby girl,” Hiram says, glancing questioningly at Leroy before looking down at the phone. “What’s up?”

“I have something I need to tell you both,” Rachel repeats.

“Okay?” Hiram prompts.

“Well, alright,” Rachel says, sounding nervous. “There is no other way to say this, so I’ll just go with the direct approach--”

For a split second, Leroy fears that she’s going to tell them she’s pregnant. Or that she’s eloped with Jesse.

“--I called off mine and Jesse’s engagement. We broke up.”

Leroy looks up at Hiram in shock. The expression is clearly mirrored on his husband’s face.

“Dads?” Rachel asks.

“Oh,” Hiram begins, clearly scrambling for something to say.

“Did he do something?” Leroy asks, preparing to make Jesse’s life hell if he did something to hurt his daughter.

“No Daddy,” Rachel denies quickly. “He didn’t do anything,” she adds, but there’s something in her tone that Leroy can’t quite figure out.

“You’re not just saying that to protect him?” Leroy tries to make sure.

Rachel starts stammering out a reply. “No, it’s-- uhm, actually, it’s….”

“What happened, baby girl?” Hiram asks gently when she trails off. “Why did you call off the engagement?”

Rachel takes a deep breath, audible through the phone, before replying. “I just-- I can’t see my future with him. When… after I accepted his proposal, whenever I look at the ring he gave me, I kept thinking that I don’t want-- I _couldn’t_ do forever with him. And I-- I kept that to myself, I tried to ignore how heavy my hand felt with his ring on it. I just… I didn’t want to hurt him. But it isn’t just about me and him, it’s also about-- I just… I couldn’t stay with him any longer. I didn’t want to lie to him, or to myself, or to anybody else anymore.”

Leroy and Hiram stare at each for a moment after Rachel finished talking.

It’s Hiram who finally responds. “Is that why you were never excited about the wedding?” he asks.

“Yes,” Rachel replies. “I’m sorry,” she adds in a small voice.

“You don’t owe us an apology, honey,” Hiram says understandingly.

Leroy nods, forgetting that Rachel can’t see him. They’re not going to be upset because Rachel chose to be honest with herself. They don’t need to cancel anything anyway. Rachel was always vague when they tried to offer their help in planning the wedding, and now they know why.

“I know,” Rachel says. “But… I do owe it to Jesse. I’ve been… I shouldn’t have let it go on so long, and I need to make amends with him. But… I don’t think now is the right time. I know that he won’t want to talk to me right now.”

At Rachel’s words, Leroy is once again reminded of how much his little girl has grown. She used to be so impatient, needing everything to happen right away.

“He’ll come around, baby girl,” Leroy tells her reassuringly.

“If he doesn’t, I’ll understand,” Rachel says. “I hurt him. I don’t even know if I have the right to ask forgiveness from him.”

“He will, honey,” Hiram says. “I might not know Jesse very much, but I do know that he’s not a bitter or angry man. Just give him time. He’ll understand someday.”

Rachel lets out a breath. “Thank you, Dad, Daddy,” she says. “I think I needed to hear that. But… there’s something else.”

Leroy exchanges a glance with Hiram again.

“There’s some _one_ else,” Rachel continues.

Leroy’s brow furrows slightly, and he can see his expression mirrored on Hiram’s.

“When I said that it’s not just about about me and him, I meant that there’s… yeah… there’s someone else.”

“Oh,” Hiram says. At the same time, Leroy asks, “Someone else?”

“Yes,” Rachel says. “I… I haven’t been cheating on Jesse--”

“We didn’t think that, honey,” Hiram is quick to say.

“I know,” Rachel says. “But this person… I’ve always been… she’s always meant so much to me. If it was just me and Jesse, I could have stayed with him even though I felt that we weren’t meant to last, but… she’s here, and… whenever I think of the future I always see her there.”

“She?” Hiram asks.

They’ve known for a while that Rachel doesn’t subscribe to labels, so Leroy knows he’s just confirming what he’s hearing. Leroy is just relieved that she’s definitely not talking about Finn Hudson. That leads him to an obvious conclusion.

“Is it Quinn?” Leroy asks. Hiram looks up and tilts his head in agreement.

Rachel stammers out her reply. “I-- what-- how-- how did you know?”

Leroy exchanges another look with Hiram. They’re both smiling slightly.

“You always talk about her, honey,” Leroy tells her. “We’ve always known that you have a little bit of a crush on her.” Both he and Hiram think it’s adorable, but they never took it seriously. It turns out they were wrong not to. “But it’s not a little bit, isn’t it?”

Rachel lets out another shaky breath. “I’m in love with her,” she says. “I’m _so_ in love with her.”

“I’m guessing she feels the same way?” Hiram says.

Leroy thinks the answer is obvious. Who wouldn’t fall in love with their amazing daughter?

“She does,” Rachel replies, and the gentling of her tone can be heard clearly through the phone. “We’re figuring things out between us right now. I know that you might think that I’m jumping head first into this,” she adds quickly, “but I’ve wanted this for so long. She-- when it’s her, I can see the future clearly.”

Rachel sounds like she used to when she was younger, before she stopped believing in fairy tale romances -- with _Finn Hudson_ of all people, before she first lost out on a role she really wanted -- Fanny Brice in the _Funny Girl_ revival. She eventually got to take over the role of Fanny Brice after the first actress moved on to other things, but Rachel never forgot the initial rejection. She eventually moved on with other boyfriends, but Rachel never once spoke as though they would last forever, like she used to think about her high school relationship.

Leroy thought that it was simply that his daughter has become slightly jaded -- growing up always does that to everyone. But now Rachel sounds like she once did when talking about all the big dreams she has, unfettered and unrestrained, and so, so certain of what she wants. It has been so long since Leroy heard that dreamy note in his daughter’s voice that he almost believed that Rachel has completely outgrown it.

Hearing her speak this way again -- with so much faith and certainty -- makes Leroy so happy. He shares a look with Hiram, and he knows they’re both thinking the same thing. They can’t -- and won’t -- stop her from being with who she wants.

“Well, in that case,” Hiram begins, “we’d like a chance to get to know her better--”

“Not just through your endless chatter about her,” Leroy interjects.

“I don’t--” Rachel tries to deny.

Hiram cuts her off with, “Yes you do, sweetheart.”

“But we’d like to talk to her ourselves--”

“Without you whisking her off to your room so that she can film you sing.”

“I informed you about that in advance!” Rachel exclaims in protest. “You’re the ones who-- who _hijacked_ her. And Mercedes was there as well, I didn’t _whisk_ Quinn off. You make it sound like-- like--”

“Like what?” Hiram asks innocently.

“Nothing!” Rachel replies quickly.

Leroy grins at Rachel’s flustered tone, but he decides that it’s time to let up. “What we’re saying, sweetheart, is that we’d like to have dinner with you and Quinn when we visit New York for your opening night.”

“I suppose that can be arranged,” Rachel says, sounding calmer. “I-- thank you, dads, for being really understanding about all this, about all my relationships really.”

“We only want you to be happy, sweetheart,” Leroy says.

If being with Quinn is what makes Rachel happy right now, then they will give all their support. And if that relationship ends, then they will still be there for their daughter, offering their love and support to lessen her hurt. And if the relationship lasts their whole lives, then Leroy and Hiram will be happy witnesses to Rachel getting the lifelong love she deserves.


	14. Progression

**Jal**

He handed several documents to Quinn with a triumphant flourish. They were permits for some of the locations they’d picked to shoot in, and one of the last ones they’d had to procure before they could start filming. Quinn took the documents with a grateful smile, securing them in a folder.

“So, what do you and Rachel have planned for Sunday?” he asked with a smirk.

He and Quinn had been working six-day weeks since they’d come to New York, trying to get everything done for the pre-production phase as soon as they could. Jal had agreed to have their scheduled days off on Mondays, since those were also the days that Quinn’s girlfriend didn’t have a show. In turn, Jal had asked early on that they schedule long weekend breaks so that he could visit home from time to time. The coming weekend was one of those scheduled breaks.

“What?” Quinn asked him in confusion.

“Valentine’s day,” Jal said pointedly. He himself was going home to San Francisco to spend a long weekend with _his_ girlfriend.

Quinn flushed, then started spluttering. “What-- why would you-- what makes you-- why do you think I have something planned with Rachel?”

“Because she’s your girlfriend,” he replied automatically, only remembering after the words were out of his mouth that Quinn hadn’t actually admitted that to him. He grimaced. “I know you two were keeping it a secret, but,” he shrugged, “it was kind of obvious.”

But the flabbergasted expression Quinn was giving him was suddenly making him rethink his conclusion. The thing was, many of his friends back home weren’t straight. To him, when two women behaved liked girlfriends, they _were_ girlfriends. But what if he was completely wrong and they were indeed just friends?

“She _is_ your girlfriend, right?” he asked uncertainly.

He was beginning to contemplate the fact that he may be living in a bubble when Quinn’s shocked expression faded. In its place, a sly smirk slowly formed.

“You know what, Jal,” she said, her eyes twinkling, “ask me again next week.”

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She said goodbye to Brittany, promising to send her wife the details for her flight on Friday. She hung up the phone then turned to Quinn, who was sitting on the couch and ignoring the TV show playing in front of her in favor of texting Rachel.

The two women had been doing that -- _texting_ \-- for several days, giggling at each other’s messages. Well, Santana really only knew of Quinn’s reactions since she hadn’t seen Rachel in a few weeks, but she could just imagine Rachel’s starry eyes and lovestruck smile whenever she’d read a message from Quinn.

The whole thing was so _virginal_ that Santana was honestly disgusted. She hoped that they were actually _sexting_ , but knowing Quinn and her pitiful lack of game when it came to Rachel Berry, they probably hadn’t gotten past chaste kisses.

She knew that she’d promised Brit not to meddle with Quinn and Rachel anymore, but Santana felt it was her duty to help her friend.

“Hey, Q,” Santana called, prompting the other woman to look up. “When are you and Rachel finally gonna start banging?”

Quinn frowned at her. “Why do you have to be so crass?”

Santana ignored that. “I know, I know, she’d only just become single,” she said dismissively. “But you’ve said it yourself, you and Rachel have been circling each other for _years_ . She won’t be ‘jumping into a relationship’ with you,” she quoted, recalling Quinn’s reasons for not making a move yet, “because this has been a long time coming. It’s not like one of you is unsure about it. Besides, Rachel’s already done the hard part, she’s already dumped St. Piphead. _You_ need to take it the rest of the way. Make your move. This whole waiting thing is just pointless and pathetic.”

Santana took a deep breath when she finished her tirade. She was realizing that she’d sounded a bit too invested in Quinn and Rachel’s relationship. Which she wasn’t.

“Are you done now?” Quinn asked calmly.

“Whatever,” Santana said, waving a hand in a dismissive act.

“You’re going to Chicago this weekend, right?” Quinn asked.

“Yeah,” Santana replied, wondering what Quinn was trying to get at.

Santana would be visiting Brittany on the weekend to celebrate Valentine’s day with her. It would be the first time they’d see each other in person since the Christmas holidays. Santana was planning to spend the whole weekend holed up in the bedroom with Brit. They definitely would not be going out for anything. Brit had already promised to stock up on food to make sure of that. They were going to spend the whole weekend re-exploring each other’s--

“Ew, ew, ew!” Quinn suddenly exclaimed, pulling Santana away from her thoughts. “Where did your mind go just now?” she complained, looking disgusted.

Santana grinned slyly at her.

“Ugh!” Quinn exclaimed.

“Prude,” Santana muttered. “Anyway,” she said, “what were you going to say?”

“Well, since you’re going to be away, I asked Rachel to stay here for the weekend,” Quinn said, a slight flush starting to color her cheeks.

Santana quirked an eyebrow. “Really?” she asked with a smirk, her thoughts taking on a lewd direction. Quinn had _some_ game, after all.

“It’s not like that,” Quinn said defensively, but her blush had deepened and she was clearly fighting back a smile. “I just think she’s going to be more comfortable here than in Kurt’s pullout couch. And I’m asking you because I was wondering if she could sleep in your room. Or, if she prefers, I’ll sleep in yours while she sleeps in mine.”

“Hmmm…” Santana said, still smirking.

“Santana,” Quinn said, trying to sound serious, but a small grin was forming on her face.

Santana rolled her eyes at Quinn’s silliness. “Fine,” she said. “Yes, Rachel can stay here. She can sleep wherever she wants. Though I’m sure she’d prefer to sleep in your bed, with you there,” she had to add.

She barely managed to duck the throw pillow that Quinn sent sailing her way.

 

* * *

 

**Kurt**

He was having breakfast with Rachel, an occurrence that he honestly hadn’t expected to happen since she’d been having early morning dates with Quinn. He knew that the two women hadn’t yet made their relationship official yet -- unless Rachel had been keeping it from him -- but those dates, as Rachel had informed him in a text, were a way for them to spend more time with each other and figure things out between them.

With the previews requiring Rachel to stay longer at the theater, Kurt’s two jobs, and Rachel’s early morning dates with Quinn, Kurt and Rachel hadn’t caught each other at the apartment for more than a week now. The only indication that Rachel was still staying with him were the two suitcases standing by a shelf, a boxed up electronic keyboard next to them, and the Tony and Drama Desk awards for _Havisham_ sitting on said shelf.

Rachel had informed Kurt that she’d gone back to the apartment she’d shared with Jesse to retrieve more clothes, her keyboard, and her precious awards. She’d also said that Jesse hadn’t responded to any of her attempts to contact him. It had frustrated Rachel because she needed them to discuss how to divide their things, but at the same time she’d admitted that she couldn’t blame him after everything that had happened.

Kurt could understand Rachel’s frustration. He was intimately familiar with the difficulties of dealing with the end of a long-term relationship, even if one was no longer in love with the other person. Letting go of Blaine hadn’t ripped his heart out like he’d thought it would when they’d been younger, but it was still hard to deal with, especially since they’d had to divide their things between them like Rachel was now trying to do with Jesse.

Still, from what Kurt could tell through the tone of her messages, Rachel didn’t seem particularly upset by it. He kind of felt bad for Jesse because while Rachel seemed sorry, she definitely wasn’t sorry enough not to enjoy what she was now exploring with Quinn. Rachel was his friend first, however, and Kurt had long ago decided that he would always pick her side the moment he’d seen the breakup coming.

Kurt was pulled away from his thoughts by Rachel clearing her throat.

“So,” she said, waiting for him to look at her before continuing. “I’ll be moving out tomorrow night,” she informed him.

Kurt furrowed his brows in confusion. Rachel didn’t like sleeping on his “uncomfortable pullout couch” or “living off of suitcases” -- her words -- so he’d helped her find a condo unit she could rent temporarily since she hadn’t had time to go apartment-hunting. The unit was owned by the parents of one of his partners at the boutique, and Kurt knew when exactly she could start moving there.

“Rach, the condo unit won’t be available until late next week,” he reminded her, thinking that she’d gotten the dates mixed up.

“I know,” said Rachel. “But you know how Santana’s going to Chicago to visit Brittany for the weekend?” she asked, and Kurt nodded. “Well, Quinn and I thought that it would be better if I stay at their apartment since Santana’s room will be unoccupied for a couple of days. Santana already agreed,” she added with a smile.

Kurt’s eyes widened at the intriguing implication of that statement. Rachel and Quinn would have the apartment to themselves for a whole weekend.

“And when Santana comes back?” he asked.

“I was thinking of getting a hotel room near the theater, actually,” Rachel replied. “It’s best if I stay nearby for opening night next Friday.”

Kurt doubted that that was her only reason for wanting to get a hotel room. He tried to fish for more details. “If I didn’t know any better,” he began lightly, “I’d say you’re trying to get away from living with me as soon as possible.”

“Kurt, you know it’s not like that,” Rachel protested, her brows furrowing. “I already told you, your pullout couch isn’t very comfortable.”

Resolving not to get offended on behalf of his couch, Kurt pressed on with his questions. “And you staying at Quinn’s apartment--” _and getting a hotel room_ , “--has nothing to do with wanting to make out with her all day?” he asked, trying not to think of what else they could be doing.

“Well,” Rachel replied, her lips slowly curling up into a Cheshire grin, “I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to that. But, honestly,” she added, sounding serious, “we just want to talk somewhere that we could really be alone. There are so many things that I still have to say to her -- that we still have to say to each other -- and we haven’t had any real privacy to do that yet. This weekend’s our chance,” she told Kurt with a wistful smile.

“I can understand that,” he said, returning her smile. “But,” he held up a finger, “I better be the first to know of any developments between you two.”

Rachel giggled at that. “Of course,” she promised, beaming.

 

* * *

 

**Alyssa**

She was getting out of her dressing room to head to the costume area and get her hat fixed -- again -- when Rachel appeared at the end of the hallway, pulling a bright pink suitcase behind her.

“Hi, Lyss!” Rachel greeted with her characteristic bright smile.

“Hi!” she replied. “You going away for the weekend?” she asked, eyeing the pink suitcase.

Today was the last day of previews for _Clueless_ and they didn’t need to be back until Tuesday. She wouldn’t be surprise if Rachel wanted to take a holiday trip during the short break.

Rachel stopped in front of her own dressing room, which was right next to Alyssa’s. “Oh, no,” she replied. “I’m just staying with, uhm, a friend over the weekend.”

Alyssa furrowed her brows. “Are you and your fiance having troubles?” she asked, knowing that Rachel and her fiance lived together and not missing the singular pronoun Rachel had used.

Rachel grimaced slightly. “We broke up, actually. Last week.”

“Oh,” Alyssa said, grimacing as well. “Shit. I’m sorry, Rachel.”

She glanced down at Rachel’s left ring finger to find it bare, then realized that she didn’t actually remember seeing Rachel wear her engagement ring. She supposed Rachel always took it off, even when they’d still been in workshop and rehearsing without costumes. That realization made Rachel’s news less of a surprise.

Not that Alyssa was exactly surprised in the first place. Rachel had never seemed very in love with Jesse St. James. She talked a lot about her dads and her friends -- particularly the pretty blonde actress, Quinn Fabray -- but Alyssa had only heard Rachel talk about her fiance once, and only because Charlie had asked about him. In fact, Alyssa knew of their engagement not from Rachel but from the news that broke out about it.

Alyssa remembered Rachel’s strange mood that day a week ago and realized that her breakup with Jesse St. James might have been what had caused it. She recalled how much happier Rachel had seemed since that day, and thought that the other actress might not be quite so sorry about the breakup at all.

“Please don’t tell anyone,” Rachel said. “We haven’t told people yet.”

Alyssa knew that by ‘people’, she meant the public. She smiled kindly at the other actress. She wasn’t quite as famous as Rachel, but she was in the entertainment industry and she understood how valuable privacy was.

“My lips are sealed,” she said. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

**_A post on Twitter_ **

**@RachelBerry:** 1- It’s been an exhausting but rewarding few weeks with the previews for @CluelessTheMusical.   
**@RachelBerry:** 2- I want to thank everyone who came to see us while we were still working out the kinks in the show.   
**@RachelBerry:** 3- Next Friday, you can definitely count on us delivering our best performance by far.   
**@RachelBerry:** 4- But for now, have a great weekend, everyone! Hope you all have a great Valentine’s (or Galentine’s) Day! :) :’) ;) :D  <3 <3 <3


	15. Kismet

**Santana**

She woke up at the first ring of her alarm clock. Groaning, she groggily tapped her phone’s screen to make it stop, then she buried her head under a pillow and tried to dream herself back into yesterday. She’d just flown in late last night -- or very early this morning, actually -- from Chicago, and the thought of facing Monday after an amazing weekend with her wife was like the come-down after a drug-induced high.

Still, when the alarm clock sounded off again, Santana forced herself out of bed. She had work in two hours, and she wasn’t about to delay with her tasks now that she was less than three months from transferring to Chicago to be with Brittany.

She came upon an interesting scene when she stepped out of her room.

Quinn and Rachel, both in sleep-rumpled tank tops and shorts, with Quinn wearing her glasses, were sitting at the breakfast table, gazing at each other with the stupidest smiles on their faces. There were bagels, a variety of fruits, and even some bacon and eggs on the table, but Quinn and Rachel ignored the food in favor of each other.

The prepared breakfast wasn’t new to Santana -- Quinn was a good roommate who knew how to cook and always woke up earlier than her. The glasses Quinn was wearing, while rarely seen on her, wasn’t new either -- Quinn sometimes opted for glasses instead of contacts in the mornings. The stupid smiles on Quinn and Rachel’s faces also weren’t new -- ever since Christmas holidays, they’d worn some form of that whenever they were in close proximity to each other.

What was new, however, was the two of them sitting so close together that Rachel was practically sitting on Quinn’s lap, Rachel playing with Quinn’s glasses and Quinn playing with Rachel’s hair while they talked in low murmurs.

Santana cleared her throat.

Quinn and Rachel looked up at the noise. Quinn flushed, but didn’t pull away from Rachel, who smiled unabashedly at Santana.

“Good morning, Santana,” Rachel greeted brightly. She stopped her ministrations on Quinn’s glasses, letting her arm drop to drape it around Quinn’s shoulders instead.

“Hey,” Quinn said, smiling openly, as she adjusted her glasses. She slid her hand down from Rachel’s hair and wrapped her arm around Rachel’s waist. “How was your flight last night? We didn’t hear you get in.”

Santana raised an eyebrow at their position, but made no comment on it. Instead, she pointed out a more interesting fact. “Yeah, what’s important is that my bedroom was thankfully empty last night. I thought one of you was going to sleep in my room?” she asked with a smirk. “Did you two celebrate Valentine’s Day in your bedroom properly?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Quinn frowned and flushed even deeper, but Rachel was opening her mouth.

“I’ll have you know--”

“Rach,” Quinn cut her off gently.

Rachel turned to Quinn and gave her a sheepish look. “Right, sorry.” She turned back to Santana. “What happens in the bedroom between me and my girlfriend is none of your business,” she said primly.

Quinn buried her face in her free hand, her blush spreading to the tips of her ears.

“Wanky,” Santana replied with a smirk. “And _girlfriend_?” she asked, taking the few steps to the breakfast table and plopping herself on a chair across from Quinn and Rachel. “So this,” she gestured between them, “is official now?”

Quinn dropped her hand and looked at Rachel with a shy smile, which was returned with equal tenderness. Then, in unison, they both turned to Santana.

“Yes,” Rachel replied softly.

Quinn just smiled, meeting Santana’s gaze meaningfully. No words needed to be spoken between them. Santana knew how much and how long Quinn had wanted this.

“Fucking finally!” Santana exclaimed, rolling her eyes upwards and raising her hands along with them.

“Aw, I always knew you were our biggest fan, Santana,” Rachel said with a big smile.

Santana didn’t know whether she was teasing or being sincere, but she definitely had it wrong. “No I’m not,” Santana denied forcefully. “I just don’t want you getting irrationally jealous again because I slept with Q here.”

That wiped the smile off of Rachel’s face. “Did you really have to bring that up?” she asked humorlessly as she pressed herself closer to Quinn, if that was at all possible.

Quinn took one look at Rachel’s pout then reached out and punched Santana on the arm. Affronted, Santana immediately retaliated with a mirroring punch to Quinn’s arm.

“Santana!” Rachel exclaimed. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t keep hitting my girlfriend,” she chastised as she gently rubbed Quinn’s arm.

“What the-- she started it!” Santana said in protest, pointing accusingly at Quinn.

Rachel only frowned at Santana disapprovingly. Quinn stuck her tongue out at Santana.

“Oh, very mature, Miss I-waited-ages-to-confess-my-feelings,” Santana said to Quinn, who scowled at her. Still annoyed about the punch, Santana kept on goading her, “No really, Q. What-- fucking _eight_   years? Only _you_ would take that long to tell someone how you feel, and you didn’t even do it properly!”

Quinn had no reply to that. Instead, she pursed her lips and looked away, flushing once again, whether from irritation or embarrassment Santana couldn’t tell. It was probably both.

Rachel leaned further into Quinn, placed a hand on her cheek, then pulled her down slightly to press a tender kiss to the base of her jaw. “Don’t mind her, baby,” she said softly into her ear.

Quinn placed a hand over Rachel’s then turned to smile adoringly at her. Then, without taking her eyes off of Rachel, she gave a gentle kiss to the open palm of Rachel’s hand.

Santana raised an eyebrow at the endearment, but it was their sickeningly sweet actions that made her want to puke all over the breakfast table.

“Ugh,” Santana made her disgust known. “Get a room. I’m about to have breakfast here,” she gestured to the food on the table that had until now been ignored.

Quinn and Rachel begrudgingly turned away from each other to look at Santana with furrowed brows.

“Really?” Quinn said, arching an eyebrow. “I used to sit through whole lunch periods in high school with you and Brit making out in front of me while I was eating.”

“And you’re one to talk about rooms,” Rachel said. “I once woke up in the middle of the night to you and Brittany having sex in the room we _shared_ back in college.”

“And I once heard you and Brit doing it in the locker rooms while I was changing,” Quinn added.

Santana, having turned her attention to breakfast, was leisurely putting cream cheese and bacon on a bagel while she listened to Quinn and Rachel’s litany of the awesome things she and her wife had done. She looked up when they were done talking.

“Yes, me and Brit are champions at sex and sweet lady kisses,” she told them smugly. “I know that already. What’s your point?” she asked. When Quinn and Rachel made no reply, she added, “I bet you were into it, you closet cases.”

“Don’t you have work to hurry to?” Quinn said irritably. At the same time, Rachel protested, “I’m not a closet case.”

Santana raised an eyebrow at Rachel. “Yeah, just a bit slow on the uptake.”

“Don’t you have work to hurry to?” Rachel echoed Quinn.

Santana smirked superiorly at the two of them before turning back to her breakfast. Obviously admitting defeat, Quinn and Rachel separated slightly and turned to their breakfast as well. Then they began to prepare their food in perfect harmony with each other’s movement.

Rachel poured coffee on a mug while Quinn picked up two bottom halves of bagels and placed one each on hers and Rachel’s plates. Quinn pulled back a little to let Rachel put the mug of coffee on her side of the table. Rachel poured another mug of coffee while Quinn spread cream cheese on her bagel. After pouring her own coffee, Rachel picked up the plate of tomatoes and put some on her bagel, finishing just in time for Quinn to get done with the cream cheese. Rachel then put some tomatoes on Quinn’s bagel. Quinn kissed her cheek gently and murmured out a soft “thanks” before picking up the plate of sliced apples. When Rachel was done, Quinn put the sliced apples on hers and Rachel’s bagels, and it was Rachel’s turn to give her a soft kiss and a murmured “thanks”. After that, Quinn piled slices of bacon on her bagel while Rachel arranged avocados on hers. Finally, they covered their preparations with the top halves of the bagels, Rachel executing it with a dramatic flourish. Then they smiled at each other before digging in.

Santana stared at them in fascination. They’d moved with the familiarity of two people who’d been having breakfasts together for years instead of the mere days that Quinn had left Santana alone in the morning to fend for herself.

Quinn looked up at Santana. “What?” she asked testily, obviously still a little annoyed at her.

Rachel leaned into Quinn once again and looked questioningly at Santana as well.

Santana couldn’t help the warmth she was feeling at the thought of the two idiots in front of her finally getting to explore what they had between them. Quinn and Rachel were stupidly perfect for each other and Santana was really happy for them.

“Nothing,” Santana replied dismissively. She wasn’t about to let them know what she really thought.

After that, the three of them continued their breakfast in relative silence. Santana gulped her food quickly, needing to take a shower first then hurry to work. Quinn and Rachel, who wouldn’t need to go back to their jobs until tomorrow, ate theirs at a more sedate pace. They were still at the breakfast table when Santana finished eating, but they’d cleared the table and migrated to the couch by the time Santana was ready to leave the apartment.

Santana watched Quinn and Rachel from the doorway, their arms wrapped around each other as they talked in low voices with soft smiles on their faces.

“Okay,” she said loudly, drawing Quinn and Rachel’s attention. “I’m just going to say this once, and don’t you _dare_ bring this up again or repeat this to anyone else.”

Quinn and Rachel stared with furrowed brows at Santana and waited for her to continue.

“I’m really happy for you two,” she said with a grin. Then she quickly backed out and closed the door behind her, not wanting to see Quinn and Rachel’s reaction to her pronouncement.

 

* * *

 

**_A private chat:_ **

**Rachel:** Hi! I dropped by your apartment to get some clothes from my bigger suitcase.  
**Rachel:** I’ve already gotten a hotel room, but I’ll leave the big suitcase, the keyboard, and my Tony and Drama Desk awards (please take care of them) at your place for now. I’ll get them when I move to the condo.  
**Rachel:** Just letting you know. :)

**Kurt:** Why, look who finally decided to chat.  
**Kurt:** You still owe me a response from Saturday, you know!

**Rachel:** I’m sorry. :(  
**Rachel:** But my attention was elsewhere. ;)  
**Rachel:** We’ll talk in person soon, I promise. I’ll tell you everything then. :)  
**Rachel:** For now, I’ll just say this: Quinn and I finally talked about everything. Everything, as in everything since high school. :’) :D

**Kurt:** Oooohhh… juicy :D  
**Kurt:** But fine. I’ll let it go for now since you’re obviously distracted.

**Rachel:** ;)  
**Rachel:** Thanks, Kurt! You’re the best!

 

* * *

 

**_A post on Twitter_ **

**@RachelBerry:** Back to the grind of rehearsals before the opening night for @CluelessTheMusical. But first... Did everyone have a great weekend? :) :D ;)

 

* * *

 

**_A private chat:_ **

**Quinn:** Rachel’s dads are here for opening night this Friday, and I’m meeting them later today.  
**Quinn:** Help!

**Santana:** Youve met them b4  
**Santana:** You even spent almost all of xmas break in rachels house

**Quinn:** Yes, but not as her girlfriend.  
**Quinn:** What if there are things about me that they could accept as Rachel’s friend, but not as Rachel’s girlfriend?

**Santana:** If youre talking about the bullying in hs, just remember that st piphead egged her once and they accepted him as rachels bf just fine  
**Santana:** But now that im thinking about it, they didnt seem to like him that much  
**Santana:** Just dont mention slushies

**Quinn:** You are not helping. At all!  
**Quinn:** They’re going to hate me. I just know it.  
**Quinn:** They’re going to make Rachel break up with me.  
**Quinn:** Rachel’s going to break up with me, and we haven’t even been together for a week!  
**Quinn:** I’m going to die.

**Santana:** Wow. 5 days of being with rachel and youre already more dramatic than her  
**Santana:** Relax, youll be fine.

_Several hours later…_

**Quinn:** I’m good with Rachel’s dads  
**Quinn:** We’re good.  
**Quinn:** They like me, I think?  
**Quinn:** Well, they don’t hate me.  
**Quinn:** Ignore my outburst.

**Santana:** LMFAO! I already sent a screenshot to B and kurt.

**Quinn:** Asshole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... based on a few comments, some of you are gonna be dissatisfied by this chapter. I know... Where's the "inside" POV for the moments when Q&R get together?
> 
> Let me explain myself. When I wrote this story, I never intended to write in Q&R's POV. "The Story So Far" was always meant to be outsiders' POVs on the development of Q&R's relationship. That means, the very private moments that are only between them are only implied. And, I've replied this in someone's comment before, if I were ever going to write those private moments, it is going to be in a companion piece. Unfortunately, I cannot promise a companion piece right now. So... I'm sorry?
> 
> All of that said, the epilogue is in Q&R's POV. BUT, it is not about the moments when they get together. And I'll just leave it at that.


	16. Fête

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: This is part of a double update, so make sure you read the chapter before this.

**Kurt**

He arrived at the theater building for _Clueless the Musical_ almost an hour before the show was scheduled to start. Stepping inside the foyer, he saw that it was already crowded with many theatergoers, all abuzz with excitement as they talked animatedly to each other or checked out the merchandise booth or took pictures with the posters lining the walls.

Kurt looked around for Rachel’s fathers and Quinn, knowing they had arrived before him. He caught sight of them standing by one of the staircases and headed in their direction.

“Hi,” he greeted as he gave Quinn an approving once over.

Kurt might be gay, but he could appreciate a good dress worn by a good-looking woman. Quinn was wearing a midnight blue, one-shoulder dress that fell just above her knees, its diagonal neckline accentuating the strong lines of her jaw. Kurt immediately thought that he should get Quinn to model his dresses. He wished he’d had the foresight to design a dress for her for tonight. After all, he’d designed the dress that Rachel would be wearing for the after party later. Then he noticed that Quinn’s nails were painted the same exact shade of red as Rachel’s dress. Kurt approved of their efforts at coordination.

“Our Rachel’s going to be drowning with flowers at the end of the show,” Leroy said jokingly, interrupting Kurt’s musings of Quinn and Rachel’s improved fashion sense.

Kurt looked around their group and started chuckling when he saw the flowers they had with them. Quinn had a bouquet of red, yellow, and orange roses cradled in one arm. One of Rachel’s dads, Leroy, was holding a bouquet of orchids. Kurt himself had brought orchids for Rachel, thankfully of a different variety from the one her dads had.

“She’ll probably ignore everyone else’s in favor of Quinn’s,” Hiram replied in a stage whisper to his husband, making Quinn color slightly.

“Let’s just hope Santana doesn’t bring flowers as well, or we’ll have to look for Rachel in her dressing room amidst a sea of blooms,” Leroy added.

Like the devil that was being spoken of, Santana suddenly appeared at Kurt’s shoulder. She was wearing a black dress with a plunging V neckline, emphasizing her cleavage so obviously even Kurt couldn’t help but look down at it.

“Hello, hello,” she greeted airily. “I’m not late.” Fortunately for Rachel’s well-being, she wasn’t bringing any flowers.

“Shall we go in?” Quinn asked, looking at her watch. “The show will start soon.”

They all agreed except for Santana, who opted to stay behind and get a snack. The rest of them headed to the theater house, where an usher led them to their seats at the center and close to the stage.

Rachel’s dads struck up a conversation with the couple sitting next to them, who happened to be the parents of one of Rachel’s co-stars. Quinn flipped silently through the playbill, and Kurt looked around and observed the ushers busily leading people to their seats. Santana arrived several minutes later, noisily making her way to her seat next to Kurt.

Soon enough, the theater lights dimmed, signalling that the show was about to start. An announcement through the sound system requested for silence, and everyone in the theater started to settle.

Then the show began.

It ran much better than when Kurt had seen it during the dress rehearsals and the first night of previews. There were no longer any mistakes, at least ones that the audience could notice. They’d changed up a few lines and scenes, making the overall feel of the musical slightly more serious. The comedy was still there, and the funny lines and scenes received ringing laughter from the audience as much as the dramatic ones caused their teary eyes. They’d replaced a couple of songs as well, and _If I Loved You Less_ was turned into a duet between Cher and Josh instead of a solo by Josh.

Rachel herself was phenomenal. Her portrayal of the naive Cher Horowitz was very endearing and sympathetic. Everyone laughed fondly at her character’s misadventures, then sat in breathless amazement during her solos. Her chemistry with her leading man, Charlie Fielding, was remarkable, and half the audience squealed when they shared a kiss after _If I Loved You Less_ \-- something they hadn’t done during the dress rehearsals and previews.

The show ended on a figurative and literal high note. The audience clapped and cheered during the curtain call, with Rachel receiving the loudest praises. She waved at her admirers then squinted at the front rows until she caught sight of Quinn, blowing a kiss in her direction before turning back and rejoining the line formed by the cast and crew. Everyone on the stage bowed amidst continuing cheers, then the curtain dropped and the cheers slowly died down as the lights came back on.

Most of the audience started leaving, but Kurt and the others remained in their seats. Rachel’s fathers and Quinn would be going to Rachel’s dressing room as she had requested. She’d invited Kurt and Santana as well, but they didn’t want to crowd the small space, so they’d opted to just catch her at the after party.

Eventually, one of the stage crew approached them, requesting Quinn, Rachel’s dads, and the couple next to them to follow her to the dressing rooms. Kurt handed his bouquet of orchids to Hiram, and he and Santana watched as the stagehand led the others to a small door at a corner near the stage. Quinn walked between Hiram and Leroy, and they seemed to be laughing over something with the other couple as the stagehand opened the door and ushered them in.

“How much ass-kissing do you think Quinn had to do with Rachel’s dads?” Santana asked with a smirk.

Kurt chuckled. “I would like to say a lot,” he said as they headed back to the lobby, “but I don’t think Rachel would ever let them intimidate her too much.”

“That’s too bad,” Santana said. “I was enjoying the image of Quinn sucking up to them.”

“At least we’ll always have that panicked text she sent you the other day,” Kurt reminded her.

Kurt and Santana shared a good laugh over Quinn’s ridiculousness as they waited for her and Rachel’s dads at the lobby. Hiram and Leroy, who had chosen not to attend the after party, would be going back to their hotel room. Quinn would be riding with Kurt and Santana to the after party venue in the car Rachel had arranged for the three of them. Rachel was expected to meet fans and sign autographs before going to the after party, where reporters were waiting to interview or simply snap pictures of the cast, so she would be taking a separate car.

Shortly, Rachel’s dads walked into the lobby and approached Kurt and Santana, explaining that Rachel had asked for Quinn to stay behind a little longer. They had to wait for several minutes before Quinn finally joined them, her face a little flushed.

“What did Rachel want with you?” Santana asked with a smirk.

Quinn ignored her question and turned to the others instead. “Let’s go?” she said to Rachel’s dads and Kurt. “The cars are here already.”

She led the way out of the theater, with Kurt, Santana, and Rachel’s dads following after her, all four of them sharing knowing grins behind her back.

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She arrived with Quinn and Kurt at the after party venue long before the main cast of _Clueless_.

The venue was a function room of a hotel. There was a small bar at one side where people could order drinks and finger foods for free. Several circular tables with chairs were arranged around one half of the room, leaving a clear space at the other half. The dim lights and the upbeat music gave the room a fun, party atmosphere.

There were already a number of people milling about and seated at the circular tables. Santana, Quinn, and Kurt were at the table assigned to them, close to the bar and right by the cleared floor space.

Santana was on her second glass of margarita when the noise outside the room became louder, signifying the arrival of the main cast. She looked at Quinn, who was thanking the waiter who delivered the vegan meal she’d ordered.

“Why aren’t you out there?” Santana asked Quinn when the waiter left.

“What?”

“Outside,” Santana said pointedly. “You know, red carpet, interviews. You’re Rachel’s date, you should be out there with her. It’s not like you’re new to it,” she added, thinking of the premieres of Quinn’s movies and TV show.

“Rachel did ask me about that,” Quinn admitted with a small frown, “but I thought it would be best if we keep it low key for now. Her breakup with Jesse hasn’t even been publicized yet, and I haven’t told my mom and my sister.”

“How did Rachel take that?” Kurt asked.

“She understands,” Quinn said. “She knows how my mom could still get difficult when I tell her about my girlfriends, even until now, and my sister’s busy with her job, so I haven’t talked to her either.”

“No,” said Kurt. “I meant about you two keeping it low key.”

“Oh. Yes,” Quinn said. “I mean, neither of us want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves right now.”

“But it’s not because you two are both women, right?” Santana had to ask.

Quinn hadn’t explicitly come out to the public, but she hadn’t been hiding her previous girlfriends either. Santana guessed, from a conversation she’d had with Rachel a few years ago when she’d still been Rachel’s manager, that Rachel wouldn’t hide as well. Still, Santana wanted to know for sure what the two women’s position on that really was.

“What?” Quinn said in surprise. “Oh, no. That’s not--” she bit her lip, frowning, then added with finality, “No.”

Further conversation was cut short when cheers erupted at the appearance of the lead actors. Santana, Quinn, and Kurt clapped along politely with the others until Rachel came in to louder cheers. Santana hollered at her while Kurt waved, and she quickly made her way to their table.

Rachel was wearing a dress that was of similar cut and a few shades darker to the red one her character wore in the the musical. It fell several inches above her knee, showing off long tanned legs that seemed even longer because of the red high heels she was wearing. Santana always maintained that red was her own color, and no one rocked red dresses as well as she herself did, but she had to admit Rachel pulled it off quite well. In fact, Rachel looked hot!

Quinn seemed to agree. She stared unblinkingly at Rachel’s approaching form, and when Rachel came to stop right in front of her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, Quinn’s mouth dropped open but no sound came out of it.

“Hi,” Rachel greeted, looking down at Quinn and not even acknowledging Santana and Kurt.

“Uh,” Quinn said dumbly, a slight flush creeping up her face. Or maybe that was Rachel’s red dress reflecting on her. “Wow,” she finally said after several moments. “That’s,” she reached out a hand towards Rachel’s thigh, let it hover in the air for a second, then pulled it back down to her lap. “You look great, Rach.”

Rachel’s mouth tugged up into a small smirk. “Yeah?” she said. “You like it?” she asked, to which Quinn only nodded.

Show-off that she was, Rachel proceeded to twirl around for Quinn’s benefit. Quinn reddened even further as she stared at Rachel’s ass. Santana laughed out loud, effectively drawing both their attention to her. Rachel gave her an exasperated look while Quinn scowled. They looked back at each other and shared a resigned smile, then Rachel turned to the others.

“Hi Santana, hi Kurt,” Rachel greeted with a smile. “Thank you for coming to see my show on opening night,” she said sincerely.

Rachel walked around Quinn to hug Santana, who made a face and pretended to be displeased. Then she turned to Kurt and also gave him a hug, which was welcomed more openly, before walking back to Quinn’s side. She sat down gratefully on the chair Quinn pulled up for her.

“I’m starving!” Rachel said, only to notice the ready vegan meal right in front of her a moment later. She looked up at Quinn, smiling widely. “Did you get this for me?” she asked. “I know they’re only serving finger foods.”

“Yeah, you said you weren’t able to eat much before the show,” Quinn replied. “I ordered from the hotel’s restaurant. Do you not like it? We can get something else if you want.”

“No, I--” Rachel looked up at Quinn with adoring eyes. “This is perfect. Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to Quinn’s cheek then turned back to her meal, taking a bite and practically moaning out her appreciation with, “Hmm, this is so good.”

Quinn gazed at Rachel with a stupefied expression on her face.

Santana sniggered. “Wipe that drool off your mouth, Q,” she teased.

Quinn turned to Santana and shot her a glare. Rachel looked up and placed a hand on Quinn’s thigh, giving a gentle squeeze. Quinn’s expression softened right away. She turned back to Rachel and wrapped an arm lightly around her waist as Rachel continued eating.

Santana looked to Kurt to share her disgust, but Kurt only mouthed _“adorable”_ at her. Santana rolled her eyes at all three of them.

“So, what did you two think of the show?” Rachel asked between bites, directing the question to Santana and Kurt. “I know I was brilliant, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it from as many people as possible.”

Santana rolled her eyes again, but she had to admit that Rachel was amazing and the show was pretty great. Kurt shared her opinions, but he expressed it in more words and with more obvious praise. Quinn seemed to have already expressed her appreciation in the dressing room, though she still jumped at the chance to shower Rachel with praises. Rachel glowed brightly at Kurt’s and Quinn’s words, and Santana couldn’t help but chuckle knowingly at her reaction.

Presently, the music was turned down and one of the producers for _Clueless the Musical_ went up near the bar and started making a speech. Rachel had to stop eating, and they all shifted around to face the woman on the microphone. Santana only half-listened as the woman, who introduced herself as Amy-something, praised her colleagues and thanked friends and family members for their support. Rachel, Quinn, and Kurt seemed to be listening intently. Rachel was obviously enjoying it the most, smiling happily at the praises she received as she draped an arm around Quinn’s shoulders.

After the speech, the music was turned back up and people started making their way to the makeshift dance floor. Santana jumped up from her seat to refill her drink, then went back to the table to get her friends to dance. Rachel was still eating and Quinn didn’t want to leave her at the table, so Santana turned to Kurt and pulled him bodily to the dance floor.

Several minutes into the dancing, Kurt sneakily led Santana to where the actor playing Elton and the actress playing Tai were dancing, smoothly cutting between them so that he ended up dancing with “Elton” while Santana was left with “Tai”. Santana smirked at Kurt and gamely kept on dancing with the actress. They were soon joined by a couple of women who seemed to be the actress’ friends. Santana certainly wasn’t complaining -- they were all hot.

Santana found herself glancing back to Quinn and Rachel every now and then.

The first time she looked back at them, they were still at the table but were joined by the actress playing Dionne. Rachel had an arm draped around Quinn’s shoulders again, and the three of them seemed to be laughing about something.

The next time, Quinn and Rachel had left their table and were standing by the bar. They had an arm wrapped around each other’s waist as they talked to Amy-something, the woman who’d made the speech earlier.

There was a point when Santana couldn’t find them anywhere and when she saw them again, they had moved to the dance floor. They were dancing a good foot apart, though their eyes were locked together as their hands traveled along the other’s arms. They smiled widely at each other as they swayed to the music, their dark blue and red dresses contrasting nicely. Santana was suddenly thrown back to a night so many years ago, at another dance, where Quinn and Rachel had been wearing light blue and pink dresses.

It had been Junior Prom, and Brittany had just led her back to the gymnasium after she’d run away. One of the first things she’d seen was Quinn and Rachel dancing and laughing together like they’d been friends forever instead of rivals for some boy’s attention. It had been one of the few moments that she’d seen Quinn really happy in high school.

Kurt was suddenly at her shoulder, with “Elton” still in tow. “Remember Junior Prom?” Kurt said amusedly as he looked at Quinn and Rachel.

“Oh yeah,” Santana said with a knowing grin.

“We probably should’ve known then,” Kurt said. Then he led “Elton” back to the middle of the dance floor, leaving Santana to laugh by herself as three hot women stared bemusedly at her.

All too soon, the party started wrapping up. _Clueless_ was going to have a show tomorrow, and the cast and crew needed to be well-rested. Santana returned to their table, where Quinn and Rachel were already picking up their things. Kurt appeared soon after, looking like he’d had the time of his life dancing with that “Elton” guy. They lingered for a few more minutes to take the pictures they’d neglected to get at the start of the party, then it was time to leave.

Rachel had arranged two cars for them, one to take her and Quinn to her hotel, the other to take Kurt to his apartment then Santana to hers. Santana suspected that, notwithstanding tomorrow’s show for _Clueless_ , Rachel and Quinn would be having their own after party later that night. It made her suddenly jealous of them, with her wife miles away in another city. She hoped that Brit was still awake by the time she got home.

Following Quinn and Rachel as they led the way out of the room, Santana couldn’t help but smile as she eyed the clasped hands of the two women in front of her. She supposed that they deserved to have their exclusive after party.

 

* * *

 

**_Instagram posts by user rachberry_ **

**Photo:** _[herself, standing between her fathers]_  
**Caption:** So happy to have my #dads here at opening night.

**Photo:** _[herself, in a group selfie with Quinn, Kurt, and Santana]_  
**Caption:** Here at the after party for the opening night of “Clueless the Musical” with these three amazing people.

**Photo:** _[herself, standing close to Quinn. They have their arms wrapped around each other’s waist, their bodies angled slightly towards each other, with Rachel’s head resting slightly on Quinn’s shoulder.]_  
**Caption:** I finally got this one to admit that “Clueless the Musical” is better than “Emma”. It’s all about the music. ;)

 

* * *

 

**_Instagram post by user qfab__ **

**Photo:** _[herself, standing a little behind Rachel, with one arm hanging casually on Rachel’s shoulder.]_  
**Caption:** Celebrating the opening night of ‘Clueless the Musical’ with the best Cher Horowitz / Emma Woodhouse the stage, silver screen, TV, or any other medium has ever seen.

 

* * *

 

**_Tumblr user elphaba-inwonderland_ **

**Photoset:**  
1: Quinn and Rachel, from Rachel’s opening night instagram post with the two of them  
2: Quinn and Rachel, from Quinn’s opening night instagram post  
3: Quinn and Rachel, from a photo gallery on the _Clueless_ opening night. The two women are holding hands while leaving the after party with two friends.

**Caption:** All. The. FABERRY!!!

**Tags:** faberry, crack, but sometimes i think you 2 are real, ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯, anyway i love rachel’s opening nights, faberry always post pics with each other, but that third one is new, and they’re very cozy in the new pics, hmmMMmmMMmmm

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** Anyone here went to the opening night? It was brilliant!!!

**Guest 2:** I did. :D I even got my playbill signed by Rachel. :)

**Guest 1:** Good for you! I was too far away from the stage door, unfortunately. But Rachel was amazing in the show.

**Guest 2:** She was indeed. :) I went to one of the preview nights and I thought she was already quite brilliant there, but she topped that with her performance at the opening night. I loved her solos, and I loved her last duet with Josh/Charlie. That one wasn’t in the preview.

**Guest 3:** is it true that she and charlie kissed?

**Guest 2:** They did. Right after their last duet.

**Guest 1:** That earned a lot of cheers. Hehe.

**Guest 3:** ahh! I can’t wait to see it. I’ll be in NY in march and I already bought a ticket, but that’s still a month away.

**Guest 2:** I promise it’s worth the wait, anon. :)

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James’_ **

**Guest 1:** I don’t see Jesse in any of the posts about the Clueless opening night. Who was it that said we should wait until opening night and see if Jesse is attending before assuming they’d broken up? I think it’s pretty clear now.

**Guest 2:** Maybe he’s just busy with his own show. And just because he’s not on any of the social media posts doesn’t mean he’s there.

**Guest 1:** Dude, no one should be too busy to go to the opening night of their fiancee’s show. And Jesse St. James not appearing on social media when he’s at an event is an impossibility.

**Guest 3:** anon, I thought you were just trolling before, but I think you may be right :(

**Guest 4:** dnt lsten to that troll! he’s jst shit-stirring!

**Guest 3:** it might be more than that at this point :(

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** the people over at the rachel  & jesse board are speculating that they might’ve broken up. what do you guys think?

**Guest 2:** I think it might be true. I’m certain that St. James wasn’t at the Clueless opening night. There’s no way he’d miss that if they were still together. They’re either having troubles or have really broken up.

**Guest 3:** I never liked St. James much, but I hope Rachel’s okay

**Guest 2:** Well, her performance didn’t seem to be affected, so I’m sure she’ll be fine.

**Guest 4:** it’s because charlie is there. berryfield rise!

**Guest 5:** oh, I don’t know. she and quinn fabray were pictured holding hands while they were leaving the after party.

**Guest 4:** they’ve been friends forever. friends are allowed to hold hands, aren’t they? there’s absolutely no reason to believe they’re together

**Guest 5:** and thinking rachel has something going on with charlie is reasonable?

**Guest 4:** people started thinking that rachel and jesse might be having troubles when she started workshopping clueless. WITH charlie. so yes, it is reasonable

**Guest 6:** None of you even know for certain if Rachel and Jesse are really broken up and you’re already arguing about who else she might be with? And have you forgotten that Charlie Fielding is *married*?

**Guest 4:** have you forgotten that there’s such a thing as divorces

**Guest 6:** Seriously???

**Guest 2:** Here we go… *eyeroll*

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** did you guys see Q’s insta post of her and Rachel Berry on the opening for Clueless (the Musical)? Rachel also posted a pic of them on her insta and they looked really cozy together. do you think there’s something going on there?

**Guest 2:** I doubt it. Rachel Berry is still dating that Broadway actor, afaik.

**Guest 3:** They also have a photo where they’re holding hands though…

**Guest 2:** I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but that doesn’t really say anything.

**Guest 4:** do we even know if rachel berry’s gay? quinn has been friends with her since forever, maybe those really are just friendly pics. (not trying to burst anyone’s bubble either, but we’ve always gone by facts around here.)

**Guest 2:** Well, basing on old pics of them together, they were never really the “touchy” kind of friends before. And I don’t know, call this a hunch, I don’t think Rachel’s exactly straight. If she didn’t have a fiance, I would totally start looking more into Quinn’s relationship with her. But she’s with that actor, so… *shrug*

 

* * *

 

**_Tumblr user elphaba-inwonderland_ **

**Text:** Why do I suddenly have an influx of follow requests?  
**Tags:** and they’re not porn blogs, who are you people?, what did i do to deserve this?


	17. Finality

**Santana**

She frowned curiously across the breakfast table at Quinn, who was anxiously slicing her pancakes into small, even squares and not bothering to eat them.

It had been exactly a week since she’d caught Quinn and Rachel practically sitting on top of each other at the same breakfast table. It was also a Monday, which for the past several weeks had meant Quinn happily looking forward to a whole day with Rachel.

“What’s up with you?” Santana asked as she took a bite of her pancakes.. “You’re usually so peppy on Mondays.” It had been rather annoying -- no one in their right mind should like Mondays. “Is the honeymoon stage over already?” she added jokingly.

Quinn scowled, picking at her food for a moment more before answering. “Rachel went to meet with Jesse to sort out their things at their-- _his_ apartment,” she said heavily.

“Oh,” said Santana.

“Kurt’s helping her out because she thought it wouldn’t be a good idea if _I’m_ the one that went with her,” Quinn continued. “Something about adding insult to injury. I obviously agree, I don’t fancy meeting Jesse right now, or ever, but….” she trailed off, attempting a nonchalant shrug that came out as an awkward twitch.

“But?” Santana prompted after several seconds of silence from Quinn.

“I just-- I don’t know, I keep thinking that she’ll decide she’d rather be with him when she sees him, and I-- I can’t exactly fault her for it if she does. I mean, she was going to marry him. That’s-- that’s a big deal.”

Santana shook her head. “She wasn’t going to marry him.”

“They were _engaged_ , Santana,” Quinn pointed out.

“True,” Santana said, taking another bite of her breakfast. “But I’m sure you and Rachel have talked. What did she say about it?”

Rachel had never confided in Santana about her thoughts on her engagement, but her reluctance had been obvious to Santana.

Quinn hesitated before answering. “She wasn’t really… sure about it-- about him.”

“There you have it,” Santana said easily. Quinn’s expression seemed to lighten, but Santana had been wanting to share something with Quinn for a while, so she pressed on. “And you weren’t there, so you wouldn’t know, but none of the people who were there when St. Piphead proposed to Rachel would be surprised once they find out that she broke off the engagement. The time it took for Rachel to say ‘yes’ was one of most awkward moments I’ve ever been forced to watch. I think the only reason she even accepted was because there _were_ people watching. Seriously, it was so awkward.”

“She doesn’t want him, Q,” Santana reassured her. “She wants _you_.”

Quinn bit her lip as she stared down at her breakfast as though the pancakes would suddenly spell out the answers to all her questions. “I guess… I’m still finding that hard to believe. That she chose me. That I was even a choice.”

“Well, you are,” Santana said with certainty. “You’re like top choice,” she added, raising her fork above her head to demonstrate. “So stop moping. And for heaven’s sake, _talk_ to Rachel about what’s bothering you. You want to get this right? Then you need to communicate.”

Quinn glanced up at Santana. “I can’t believe I’m getting relationship advice from you,” she said, smiling slightly.

“Excuse you,” Santana said, insulted. “I’m the perfect person for you to ask relationship advice from. Who else do you know who’s in a stable, healthy, long-term relationship? And Brit and I count as one,” she added, knowing Quinn would get sarcastic.

“My sister,” Quinn deadpanned.

“Who knows how stupid you get about Rachel,” Santana added.

Quinn rolled her eyes, but she finally took a bite of her breakfast. Santana considered it a triumph. She was an awesome friend.

 

* * *

 

**Jesse**

He watched as Rachel and Kurt put the last of her things into a box. They’d been at it for a few hours -- Rachel and Kurt packing her things into boxes while all Jesse could do was watch in chilly silence.

His presence wasn’t really necessary there. Rachel had been trying to contact him for the past few weeks, asking about which of their shared things he would like to keep for himself. He’d only replied to her two days ago, and Rachel had immediately replied back saying that she would get the rest of her things on Monday.

That was today.

Jesse had no explanation as to why he took the day off work to watch Rachel pack her life away from him, except that he would hate himself if he didn’t make one last attempt to fight for her. He hadn’t done that the night she’d broken up with him, held down by the fact that it was Quinn she was leaving him for. He hadn’t done that for the past few weeks, so angry at Rachel for taking back her unspoken promise to marry him, at himself for not seeing the signs of her reluctance.

Jesse watched as Rachel rolled up the poster for _The Inner Life of Miss Havisham_ that had once hung proudly on their living room wall. It was a limited edition poster, with Miss Havisham sitting on a big armchair, drowning in her wedding dress, while Estella/Rachel and Pip/Jesse sat on the floor in front of her, a discarded pile of cards between them with the Knave of Hearts at the top. The most popular poster with actors’ faces actually only showed Miss Havisham on the chair with Estella on the floor, both of them looking at the camera with empty eyes. Rachel had made sure to get the one with Jesse in it, and he’d loved her even more for that, but now he couldn’t bear to look at it.

Rachel turned to the black and white pictures that once lined another wall in their living room. The pictures were of empty theaters and minimalist Broadway posters. There were also four pictures of her and Jesse, their faces split with laughter or contorted with sorrow, like the ubiquitous “Tragedy and Comedy” masks of theater.

Jesse couldn’t take it anymore.

“How could you throw all this away?” he spoke up, gesturing at the pictures in Rachel’s hands. “Three years, Rachel. Three years, and more besides…. Before we were together, we were friends. I’ve-- we’ve-- we’ve known each other since high school. And I’ve always supported you in your career. What does she have that I don’t?”

Rachel’s expression was pained as she looked up at Jesse. Her eyes darted to Kurt, who had paused in his task of closing up another box that was full of Rachel’s things.

“I’ll be outside,” Kurt said, inching slowly towards the door. “I’ll go tell the driver we need help carrying these boxes to the car.” He passed by Rachel and gave her arm a light squeeze. “Let me know when you’re done here,” he told her gently.

Jesse watched Kurt go before turning back to Rachel. “Answer me Rachel,” he demanded, trying to keep the hardness from his voice. “What does she have that I don’t?”

“Jesse,” Rachel began, her voice strained, “I-- I don’t-- I’m sorry.”

Of course she couldn’t even come up with an answer. It made him even more upset.

“We were great together, Rachel,” Jesse told her. “And we were going to be even greater.”

Her star had risen and it was steadily rising higher. He was starting to make waves in the theater production circles. They were going to be Broadway’s next power couple, and--

“You’re throwing all of it away, and for what? For someone who can’t even settle in a place for too long?”

It was something he’d noticed about Quinn Fabray after all the times Rachel had talked about her. He ignored the twist in his gut at recalling that Rachel _always_ talked about her.

“How do you know that she won’t leave for Europe again? She’ll film her movie in what, less than a year? Then what do you think she’ll do after that? How do you know that she’s going to stay?”

Rachel’s brows furrowed as she stared up at him with hangdog eyes. She bit her lip, seemingly uncertain, and for one brief moment he thought he had her.

“Jesse,” she said softly, “when you think of our future, do you see the quiet moments as well as the big ones?”

“What?” he asked, confused about the change in topic.

“Do you see quiet Sunday lie-ins?” Rachel asked. “Or-or quiet afternoons of just us sitting together reading a book or listening to some music or watching a movie? Or is it all just bright lights and awards and accolades to you?”

Jesse furrowed his brows in confusion. Maybe he only saw the awards and accolades they would get, individually and together, but they were both ambitious people. Why was Rachel suddenly talking about “quiet Sundays”? They’d never done that before.

“You don’t love me like that, Jesse,” Rachel said gently. “We’ve never loved each other like that.”

Jesse didn’t know what to say that. “I don’t understand.”

“I-- I’m really sorry, Jesse,” Rachel apologized again. “I wish-- I hope you will know, someday, what it’s like to-- I hope you’ll understand for yourself someday.”

The sincerity in her tone took the anger and fight out of him. He didn’t understand. All he knew was that Rachel was throwing away their life -- their future -- for a woman who had, essentially, just come back to her settled life in New York only a couple of months ago. He ignored the voice in his head that reminded him of how Rachel had always determinedly kept up with Quinn when the woman had been in Europe. He tried not to think of the now obvious fact that he and Rachel hadn’t been the perfect couple he’d imagined them to be long before Quinn had even come to New York.

“I hope for your sake that she’s worth it,” he told her, not knowing if he really meant it.

Rachel gazed steadily at Jesse, her eyes taking on a tender expression that he knew wasn’t meant for him. She remained quiet, not giving a reply. It might have been the kindest thing she’d done for him since she’d accepted his proposal without meaning it.

Less than an hour later, Rachel had gone, leaving Jesse to the empty walls and shelves in their apartment. He realized that for all his comparison of himself and Rachel to Pip and Estella, he’d forgotten that the couple’s happy ending in _Havisham_ was merely the imaginings -- no, _nightmares_ \-- of a delusional old woman.

Jesse sank on the couch and buried his face in his hands. _He_ had been delusional, his expectations too great.

 

* * *

 

**Kurt**

He let Rachel walk past him as he opened the door to the condo unit she was renting. She had already moved her clothes, keyboard, and awards there over the weekend, and now they were moving the rest of the things that they’d just retrieved from her old apartment with Jesse.

Quinn was already waiting for them inside, arranging some things in the kitchen cupboards.

“Quinn,” Rachel called out, taking quick strides towards her.

Quinn immediately straightened up at Rachel’s voice, opening her arms and enclosing them around Rachel the moment she pressed her body against Quinn’s. They took comfort in each other’s embrace, resting their heads on each other’s shoulder and seemingly communicating in silence as they swayed lightly on the spot.

Kurt tore her eyes away from Rachel and Quinn as the driver of their rented car and one of the condo’s servicemen entered the room carrying Rachel’s boxes. He instructed them on where to place the boxes, sent them away with tips and a thank you, then turned his attention back to his two friends.

Rachel and Quinn were now talking in low murmurs with their faces less than an inch apart, their arms still wrapped around each other. Kurt slowly backed away, closing the door quietly as he stepped out of the room. Rachel and Quinn needed some time to themselves.

 

* * *

 

**_A few headlines on celebrity news sites_ **

“Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Break Up”

“Broadway’s Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Split”

“Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James Split Only Months After Engagement”

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James’_ **

**Guest 1:** it looks like rachel and jesse have really broken up _[link to article]_

**Guest 2:** That’s not true. Those are just rumors.

**Guest 3:** it’s true. that news site is credible, and we’ve been speculating this for a while now

**Guest 1:** other celebrity gossip sites are reporting it as well. and apparently the information is directly from their publicists.

**Guest 4:** nooooooo!!! i refuse to accept this!

**Guest 5:** “No comment from either party”. What do you think happened? They were already engaged too. :(

**Guest 6:** Please, this is just so typical of celebrities. They split up when they get engaged or get married. It’s like they only realize what commitment really means the moment they’re really faced with it.

**Guest 3:** i hope that absolute stberry stan who comes on here would believe it now

**Guest 4:** there’s no need to rub it in people’s faces, we’re all fans of the couple here. unless you’re just here to troll

**Guest 3:** i’m a fan of them, but there’s that one person who refuses to believe it despite the evidence. and their spelling is atrocious!

**Guest 7:** i bet rachel’s having an affair with charlie fielding

**Guest 2:** He’s married. And Rachel wouldn’t do that to Jesse.

**Guest 7:** what makes you so sure?

**Guest 2:** What makes *you* so sure? You’re talking about Rachel like you know her life. This is real people’s lives, for heaven’s sakes. This isn’t one of your stupid “berryfield” fanfictions, which by the way is really disrespectful not only of Rachel and Jesse and Charlie, but also of Charlie’s wife, who isn’t even a public figure. Have some decency.

**Guest 1:** that berryfield shipper has been trolling the boards since forever. just ignore it.

**Guest 8:** Nooo!! I just read this. :(

 

* * *

 

**_Tumblr user stberry_ **

**Text:** love isn’t real   
**Tags:** stberry

 

* * *

 

**_Tumblr user yellowbrokenroad_ **

**Text:** @ Rachel and Jesse _[we were all rooting for you gif]_   
**Tags:** stberry, creis

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** so… Rachel Berry and her fiance broke up _[link to article]_

**Guest 2:** omg O.O

**Guest 3:** Well, I take back everything I ever said about Quinn and Rachel not possibly being together. This requires some more digging. *cracks knuckles*

**Guest 2:** holy plot twist, batman! O.O

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter with Jesse in it, I promise.


	18. Interlude: Frannie

She idly listens to her children ramble excitedly to their “Auntie Q” over Skype about the new _Power Rangers_ movie. Ed and Ara are obsessed with it, and strangely, Quinn can somehow relate to the seven and five year old kids.

Frannie doesn’t even know why Quinn knows about _Power Rangers_ . Then again, little Lucy did used to be a big nerd. Listening to her sister talk to her kids about someone named “Rita Repulsa”, Frannie decides that Quinn _still_ is a big nerd.

Frannie chuckles when Ed and Ara tell Quinn that she should play the “Yellow Ranger’s girlfriend” in the next movie. Her children have a very simplistic view of Quinn’s job. To them, since their Aunt is an actress, then she can be in any movie they can think of. They immediately warmed up to the idea of their Aunt getting to play different characters. It gives Quinn a cool factor from their point of view.

Frannie has a different view of Quinn’s chosen career, if it can even be called that. She can’t help that she has misgivings about a very fickle and unpredictable industry. To top that off, Quinn even deferred her last year of college -- at _Yale_ \-- to do a movie, and she hasn’t gone back to college since. Frannie had -- and still has -- a hard time understanding Quinn’s decisions.

Then again, if it weren’t for Quinn’s decision to do a movie in San Francisco, they won’t have been able to repair an almost nonexistent relationship that was made even worse by Frannie’s lack of support when Quinn got pregnant at sixteen. Frannie hopes that she has made up for that by letting Quinn stay at her house when she was doing her first movie, then later on supporting Quinn when she came out as a lesbian to their mother.

Frannie and Quinn are definitely much better at being sisters now than when they were younger. She knows that her own children, who adores Quinn and whom Quinn adores right back, is a big factor in their newfound closeness. Ed and Ara are simply too adorable to resist.

Frannie tunes back in to her children’s conversation with their Aunt and realizes that they are now talking about _Star Wars_. She knows that she needs to put a stop to it if she ever wants to get a word in edgewise. After some pouting and protests from the kids -- including Quinn -- Frannie finally manages to usher her children to go bother their father instead.

“So,” Frannie begins when her kids have disappeared to another room, “how are things over there in New York?” she asks.

When Quinn told Frannie that she would be filming her movie in the US, Frannie was quite glad to hear it. It was about time that Quinn stayed home. It would have been better if Quinn decided to film in San Francisco or even in Los Angeles instead of all the way over in New York, but at least it was still in the country.

“Things are great,” Quinn says, smiling slightly. “Really great,” she adds.

Frannie smiles in surprise at her reticent sister’s very open answer. Then she arches an eyebrow. Even through the computer screen, she can see Quinn starting to blush.

“Really?” Frannie prompts, intrigued.

“I’m-- I’m seeing someone,” Quinn admits, and this time her smile blooms.

“Really?” Frannie says again, her own grin widening. Quinn seemed quite down when her soccer player girlfriend broke up with her. She’s glad Quinn’s met someone else. “What’s her name?” she asks.

“Uhm,” Quinn begins, biting her lip in an obvious effort not to smile too widely. “Well, it’s-- it’s Rachel actually.”

“Rachel…?”

Quinn’s blush spreads to her ears, and Frannie suddenly gets it.

“Rachel _Berry_?” she asks loudly.

“Yeah,” Quinn affirms in a soft voice.

“Rachel Berry, your friend from high school Rachel Berry?” Frannie feels the need to clarify.

Quinn nods her head. “Yes.”

“Rachel Berry, your friend from high school who’s now starring in Broadway shows and won a Tony award?”

“Yes,” Quinn says, sounding deadpan now.

“Wow,” Frannie says in awe.

Rachel Berry is very famous back in Lima. She’s also quite well-known in certain circles even outside of their small town. Frannie has a colleague who’s a big Broadway fan, and she once bragged to said colleague about the fact that her sister knows Rachel Berry personally. But more than her accomplishments, Rachel Berry has been Quinn’s friend for a very long time.

Frannie puts two and two together. “Is this why you chose to film your movie in New York?”

“I’m-- yeah, I guess,” Quinn says quietly.

“How long have you two been together?” Frannie wonders.

“Uhm… almost a month now,” Quinn replies.

Frannie does the calculation in her head and immediately realizes that Quinn chose to film in New York months before she and Rachel got together. She peers at her younger sister and comes up with a better question.

“How long have you liked her?”

Quinn gives a shrug. “Look, Fran, can you-- can you tell Mom?” she asks, not answering Frannie’s question.

“You should tell her yourself,” Frannie says, knowing better than to press about the unanswered question.

“I don’t like telling her,” Quinn says, brows furrowing. “She pretends that she’s fine with it, but I know she hasn’t really accepted that I’m gay.”

“She’s trying, Quinn,” Frannie defends. It isn’t even just about the fact that Quinn’s dating women, it’s also about the backgrounds, careers, and circumstances of the women Quinn has dated.

“Can you still tell her anyway?” Quinn asks rather demandingly.

“Fine,” Frannie says. “But you should introduce _Rachel Berry_ to Mom as your girlfriend soon. I think she’ll definitely like Rachel more than the others.”

Quinn smiles dreamily at that, and Frannie decides that she’ll make sure that their mother really is fine with Rachel Berry. Judging by Quinn’s expression, she might just be the last girlfriend Judy Fabray will need to know about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Power Rangers (the reboot) should be on its third movie at this point. :D


	19. The Story So Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT: This is part of a double update, so make sure you read the chapter before this.

**_Tumblr user elphaba-inwonderland_ **

**Anonymous message:** do you really think that faberry is real? what’s the story there? I’m a fan of theirs separately and I know they’re friends, but I didn’t really think of them being together until someone on my dash reblogged that photoset you posted of them on rachel’s opening night

**Answer:** Okay here’s the thing, I didn’t really think of them as anything other than a crackship (who look unfairly good together) until those pictures of them from the _Clueless_ opening night cropped up. I don’t mean the ones they posted on their Instas or that picture of them holding hands (although they looked really… cozy there too?). There are also pics of them from the after party on other people’s Twitter/Insta and they were practically glued at the hips in those pics. There’s even _[this video]_ of Amy H’s speech, and to the side you can see Rachel with her arms around Quinn. You can interpret all those pics (and video) as just two really close friends, but they never seemed to be the “handsy” kind of friends in older pics of them before.

Personally, I think the pictures already say a lot, but then, well… so everyone knew they’re good friends who went to high school together. They’re super supportive of each other, just basing on how they always retweet each other’s projects, and Quinn even came to New York all the way from Europe first for Rachel’s Broadway debut with _Funny Girl_ then for the _Havisham_ opening night. (We know this because of their SM posts on those nights.) But up until last year, Quinn was living in London and Rachel’s engaged to Jesse St. James.

But then… a lot of really interesting happened one after the other: People started speculating about Rachel and Jesse having broken up. Quinn came to NY at the beginning of this year to film a movie (which is still in production until now). Those _Clueless_ opening night pictures of Q &R cropped up. Then a week after that, Rachel and Jesse’s breakup was confirmed in an announcement from their publicists. It was like… whoa, what’s going on here?

So that’s the story so far. Take from it what you will. ;)

**Tags:** faberry, q &r story, not so cracky anymore, i’m still finding it hard to believe tbh, also i’m still gaining followers because of them, they’ll be my claim to fame

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry’_ **

**Guest 1:** people are saying rach and charlie kissed again after *if i loved you less* during the show last night. i really think theyre together.  <3

**Guest 2:** yeah, I think that’s only because it’s been exactly a month since Clueless opened and they’re having a special celebration thing. and for the last time, Charlie Fielding is married.

**Guest 1:** and for the last time, divorces are a thing

**Guest 3:** Charlie Fielding just posted a really proud tweet about his wife’s art exhibit. They’re not going to divorce. And it’s only been less than a month since Rachel and Jesse broke up, I doubt she’s seeing anyone new right now.

**Guest 4:** uh, correction, it’s been less than a month *since it was publicized*. we’ve been speculating that they’d broken up long before that.

**Guest 5:** I think Rachel’s dating Quinn Fabray now.

**Guest 3:** Rachel’s not even gay

**Guest 4:** uh, correction again, rachel’s never said that she’s straight. and she said in that interview for DestiNY about loving someone’s soul or something

**Guest 3:** She only said that because of the show. That doesn’t mean she’s gay.

**Guest 6:** i agree about rachel and quinn fabray. i don’t know if they’re dating or experimenting or whatever, but there is something going on there. I mean, remember their pictures on opening night?

**Guest 2:** you mean that one picture of them holding hands while walking down the stairs in high heels? that doesn’t mean anything. they were probably just holding each other because they didn’t want to trip.

**Guest 6:** i didn’t just mean the pictures from the photographers. alyssa vincent posted that picture of her with rachel and quinn fabray, and rachel  & quinn were sitting really close together.

**Guest 1:** that doesnt mean theyre together. i sit really close to my friend sometimes too and it doesnt mean were dating.

**Guest 7:** I’m here for Rachel and Quinn Fabray. :) I saw the opening night pics the cast posted on their instas too, and there wasn’t one pic of Rachel without Quinn Fabray in it. They seemed inseparable during that night.

**Guest 6:** yes! exactly! do you have a tumblr? check out the faberry tag, we’ve been gathering evidence about them :)

**Guest 3:** Oh, of course you’re from Tumblr. You people are always shipping Rachel with anything that moves.

**Guest 6:** at least quinn and rachel are actually possible instead of “berryfield”

**Guest 1:** rachels not gay! stop assuming about her sexuality!

**Guest 6:** and you aren’t?

**Guest 8:** Oh, for fuck’s sake. This is like sunberry vs berryjam all over again. To all the shippers, please create a separate thread about your chosen ship. That way, we can all go back to discussing Rachel’s shows here in peace.

**Guest 7:** That’s actually a good idea. Why hasn’t anyone done that before.

**Guest 6:** none of us have mod access

**Guest 7:** I’ll see if we can request it.

**Guest 6:** awesome. thanks

**Guest 8:** Thank the gods. Can we all just agree not to talk about ships here again?

**Guest 4:** lmao. that’s never gonna happen

 

* * *

 

**_On a chat board titled ‘Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** Someone from a chatboard on Rachel Berry created a “Rachel and Quinn” thread. We’re not the only who’s noticed it guys.

**Guest 2:** oh, they should notice it. after all, it was from those opening night pics of rachel berry that we thought there might something going on.

**Guest 3:** I gotta be honest, I’ve lowkey shipped them for a while but it doesn’t seem to be possible because they live in different cities and they have their own SO’s. but now…. I can’t help it, I can feel myself starting to highkey ship them. holy shit

**Guest 1:** They’ve always been very “shippable” haven’t they? They’ve been friends forever and they’re always so supportive of each other. :)

**Guest 3:** god, you guys, don’t get my hopes up

**Guest 4:** Let’s not jump to conclusions just yet. Those pictures don’t have to mean anything, there’s nothing particularly couple-y about any of them. I think they look great together, but like you all said, they’ve been friends for a very long time. I know I sound like a straight person saying this, but some female friends really do act like that. Unfortunately.

**Guest 5:** I had my misgivings about them even when those pictures cropped up, but that was because Rachel Berry was dating that actor. But Rachel and her fiance broke up, so…. I wouldn’t discount the possibility of Quinn dating Rachel Berry now.

**Guest 3:** great. my hopes are up and they’re not getting back down!

 

* * *

 

**_A new chat board titled ‘Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray’_ **

**Guest 1:** This thread is for the beautiful Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray. We think they might be together, and we’re here to speculate and gather evidence. Enjoy! :)

 

* * *

 

**Santana**

She sat with Kurt at a table in one of their favorite restaurants, which had a good view of the Manhattan skyline, waiting for Quinn and Rachel to arrive. They were meeting for a catch-up dinner but Quinn and Rachel were running late. It was very uncharacteristic for the both of them, who even in high school had usually been the first ones to show up at meetings.

“Those two better not have... gotten distracted on their way here,” Kurt complained with a grimace, looking truly pained at the thought of what might have distracted them.

“Let’s just order already,” said Santana. “I’m hungry and I don’t want to wait for those two. They’re probably eating each--”

“Don’t,” Kurt interrupted gravely. “Just… don’t. You shouldn’t say what I think you were going to say to a gay man.”

Santana rolled her eyes at him, but she was prevented from making a retort by Quinn and Rachel’s arrival. Finally!

Quinn and Rachel made their way towards their table, looking sheepish.

“Oh, finally!” Kurt said dramatically as Quinn pulled up a chair for Rachel then took the seat beside her

“Sorry,” Rachel said. “We were just--” she stopped short, flushing slightly, “uh…” she trailed off, looking helplessly at Quinn.

“We’re only fifteen minutes late,” Quinn said, her expression impassive. “It’s not a big deal. You two have been worse.”

Kurt raised an eyebrow at that explanation, but he seemed to accept it. Santana, however, wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity to give Quinn and Rachel some shit.

“Except that fifteen minutes is like an hour to Rachel,” Santana pointed out. Rachel was punctual to a fault and always arrived earlier than the appointed time. “Are you sure you weren’t just starting in on _appetizers_ in that cozy condo of yours?” she asked with a smirk.

Kurt grimaced while Quinn narrowed her eyes at Santana.

“Why don’t we just order?” Rachel said a little desperately. “Quinn and I have decided to pay for dinner,” she added with a look to Quinn, who nodded.

Santana grinned, forgetting about wanting to annoy the couple. “Why didn’t you start with that?” she said, eagerly waving a waiter over so they could start ordering already.

Santana immediately decided on the most expensive dish. Quinn and Rachel consulted each other on what they should order, something they’d done even before they’d gotten together. Kurt, as usual, took the longest to order, though he hurried up when he noticed the scowl Santana directed at him.

“So, Santana,” Rachel began amiably when the waiter left with their orders, “have you started packing for Chicago?”

“No,” Santana replied. “It’s more than a month away and I’m still wrapping things up at work. And Q refuses to help me pack,” she added, looking accusatorily at Quinn.

Quinn, who had somehow shifted closer to Rachel when they’d been ordering and was now draping an arm over the back of Rachel’s chair, just arched an eyebrow at Santana.

“Our agreement,” she began, “was that I’ll pack the things in the kitchen and living room _after_ you’ve moved to Chicago and send them over to you, not that I’ll help you pack your clothes.”

Since Quinn would still be staying at the apartment, Santana had decided not to take her kitchenware and other household items upon her move to Chicago. It was a win-win situation as it meant that Quinn wouldn’t need to hurry to buy her own things and Santana wouldn’t need to worry about packing everything up. Of course, there were still her clothes and personal items, and Santana wasn’t looking forward to packing those up. She’d tried to get Quinn to help her -- Quinn was the expert at moving, after all -- but Quinn had stubbornly refused.

Santana reckoned that Quinn wouldn’t have been much help anyway. She’d been spending most of her time at Rachel’s place. In fact, Santana had only seen her about once or twice a week for the past month since she and Rachel had finally gotten together.

“Well, I’m really happy for you, Santana,” Rachel was saying diplomatically. “It’s awful to be away from someone you wish were at your side all the time.”

At that, Rachel and Quinn gazed at each other, wearing identical lovesick expressions.

Santana snorted. “Yeah, you’ve said so before,” she said. “I’m happy for me too,” she added, thinking of finally living with Brittany again. The very thought was making her giddy. She’d really missed her wife, and Quinn and Rachel acting like the sickening couple they were had made it even worse. “I would say I’d miss you three, but mostly I’m just really looking forward to having regular sex with Brit again. And maybe for a whole week when I first get there,” she added dreamily.

“I am definitely _not_ going to miss your… brand of honesty,” Kurt piped up in distaste.

“You’re just jealous ‘cause Elton turned out to be a big bore,” Santana mocked him.

“His name isn’t-- oh, you know what, I don’t care anymore,” Kurt said. He turned to Rachel. “What about you, Rachel? Have you found an apartment yet? Or are you extending your stay at the condo?”

“I’ve requested a month’s extension at the condo,” Rachel replied. “I already compiled the apartment listings that interested me, but I haven’t been able to check out all of them yet.”

“Oh, do you need help with that?” Kurt asked casually.

“Thank you for offering, Kurt,” Rachel said gratefully. “But it’s alright. Quinn’s been helping me check out the listings.”

Rachel then turned to Quinn and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Quinn just smiled dreamily at her. Kurt looked amusedly between the two of them while Santana rolled her eyes.

Quinn had told Santana that they’d been advised by Rachel’s publicist not to broadcast their relationship, not because they were both women -- Rachel’s manager was known for handling several out LGBTQ+ talents, after all -- but because Rachel had just broken off an engagement. Quinn didn’t have a publicist, or a manager, or even an agent -- she had an agent in London but she’d ended the contract when she’d moved back to the US and hadn’t hired a new one yet -- but she’d agreed with Rachel’s publicist. In fact, neither of them seemed to have a problem with the publicist’s advice, probably because they didn’t want to subject the other to tabloid gossip, but the way they acted sometimes made Santana wonder if they somehow kept forgetting it.

Right now, no one who looked at Quinn and Rachel would doubt that they were together. Then again, neither of them were so famous as to have the paparazzi photographing their every move. Besides, Santana thought, the heteros were blind so maybe they were taking advantage of that fact.

Santana was pulled out of her musings by the arrival of the waiter with their orders. Conversation paused for a few minutes in favor of the food and when it resumed, talk turned to their jobs.

Santana complained about needing to prepare someone to take over for her at work when she would leave for Chicago; Kurt talked about his fashion boutique and the dresses he was designing; Quinn talked about the progress of her movie, which had started filming a couple of weeks ago; and Rachel not-so-modestly told them that _Clueless_ tickets had sold out and that the show would be getting an extension on its run.

Eventually, their conversation turned to music, as it naturally always did. It was, after all, one of the very few things they all had in common. They talked about the latest singles and albums from their favorite artists. That turned into a conversation about Mercedes’ upcoming album, which turned into a discussion about what their fellow Glee Clubbers had been up to since high school. They realized that each of them had done better or at least the same as everyone had expected during graduation. None had done worse than expected, which was quite an accomplishment for a group of high school misfits.

“I’d like to propose a toast,” Kurt said after their empty plates were replaced with desserts. He lifted his wineglass before continuing, “To all of us, for having come a long way since high school.”

Quinn and Rachel exchanged smiles before lifting their glasses up to Kurt’s.

“I can toast to that,” Rachel said agreeably.

“Hear, hear,” Santana said, lifting her own wineglass up to join the others.

“And to getting it right,” Quinn added softly.

“Oh, well said,” Kurt agreed with a nod.

Santana couldn’t help but agree as well as she thought of her own life since high school. She grinned, not even minding that Quinn and Rachel are now smiling sappily at each other, their gazes lingering and full of meaning.

Santana didn’t bother wondering what Quinn and Rachel were thinking about. She agreed with Quinn’s words, and so she echoed them.

“To getting it right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before epilogue. Thanks to everyone who read this, gave kudos, and especially to those who gave their reviews. :)
> 
> (I don't know if it was obvious, but Santana's POV was my favorite to write from.)


	20. Epilogue: Home

_Strange how we know each other_

_Strange how I fit into you_  
_There's a distance erased with the greatest of ease_  
_Strange how you fit into me_ _  
_ A gentle warmth filling the deepest of needs

~~ Eric’s Song, Vienna Teng ~~

 

* * *

 

**Quinn**

She climbs out of the train car after Jalil Rana, the director for _On Track_ , after they reviewed the scene they’d just shot.

They’re currently in the movie’s production set, which is simply a fenced lot with a small outhouse at one corner. The train car, which is the main fixture of the on-set filming, is located at one end of the lot. At the other end, the outhouse, where they kept their props and equipment when they’re not filming, is the only permanent building in the set. Scattered around near the outhouse are a few trailers, which the actors share among themselves. Closer down the middle of the lot are two large tents where the cast and crew congregate around when they’re on break.

Quinn heads towards the tents, where Rachel has been hanging out since she arrived earlier that afternoon.

It’s a Monday and Rachel doesn’t have a show. Unfortunately, unlike during pre-production when Jal easily agreed to have Mondays off as well, Quinn can’t really schedule their days off on Mondays instead of weekends now that there are a lot more people involved, so Rachel has taken to dropping by to watch the filming on her days off.

Even though Rachel’s publicist warned them not to be too obvious with their relationship, they still introduced each other to their respective colleagues. Neither of them wanted to go to great lengths to hide their relationship, so they decided to simply trust their colleagues not to go gossipping them.

Quinn introduced Rachel to _On Track_ ’s cast and crew the first time Rachel dropped by on set. Some of the actors knew Rachel personally through theater or even NYADA connections, but most of the rest knew her as Rachel Berry, the star who took Broadway by storm when she originated the role of Estella in the award winning musical _The Inner Life of Miss Havisham_. They all love her, of course, and Quinn can’t blame them because it’s impossible not to be drawn to Rachel.

Rachel is talking animatedly with Irene Kohler, Quinn and Jal’s co-producer who’s visiting from Los Angeles to check out how they’re doing, but she looks up when Quinn starts to head her way. Rachel gives Quinn a wide smile, and Quinn can’t help but smile back and hasten her steps.

Rachel gets up from where she’s sitting next to Irene and stands by the folding chair with Quinn’s name on it. She hands Quinn a bottle of water and a plate of cookies as Quinn takes her seat. The cookies are part of the batch Rachel baked that morning and brought to set with her. Quinn’s a little upset that her filming schedule required her to be on set early. She loves doing things with Rachel, baking being one of them.

“Here,” Rachel says as she moves to stand in front of Quinn.

“Thanks, Rach,” Quinn says. She takes a bite of the cookie -- it’s non-vegan -- and a big gulp from the bottled water before putting the items down on a nearby table.

Rachel bites her lip, looks around them, then peers closely at Quinn. The look she’s wearing is familiar, and Quinn knows Rachel is trying not to fuss over her further because they’re in a professional setting. Quinn is about to ask if Rachel’s doing alright and not getting bored to death when someone else starts talking to them.

“You have to tell me your secret, Quinn,” Irene says from where she’s sitting a few feet away. “How do I get a Tony-winning Broadway star to be my production assistant?” she asks jokingly.

Rachel laughs delightedly, no doubt from having her accomplishments pointed out. Irene wasn’t around when Quinn introduced Rachel to _On Track_ ’s cast and crew, but they met yesterday after Rachel’s _Clueless_ performance which Quinn brought Irene to see. Irene is more than ten years older than them, but she loves musicals so she and Rachel hit if off right away.

Quinn arches an eyebrow as she looks at Irene, then she turns back to Rachel, who’s grinning expectantly at her.

“Go to high school with her,” Quinn answers nonchalantly.

Rachel’s grin widens. “ _And_ keep in touch,” she adds.

Quinn smirks. “And keep in touch,” she agrees, her voice neutral even as she looks Rachel up and down, knowing that no one will see her checking out her girlfriend at the angle they’re facing each other.

Spring has finally taken hold of New York. The warmer weather means that Rachel has gone back to wearing short skirts without tights or knee-high socks, leaving her legs bare for Quinn to stare at. Quinn’s gaze travels from Rachel’s feet, encased in ballet flats, very slowly up her long legs, to the maroon skirt that swayed tantalizingly over her thighs, to the purple-and-white pin-striped shirt with a neckline that showed her collarbones, and finally to the knowing smirk she was wearing. Quinn meets Rachel’s eyes and smiles cheekily, not caring that Rachel caught her staring.

“You know what, Rachel, we should put you in the credits for the movie,” Jal pipes up obliviously from where he’s standing near the food table. “You’ve helped us out a lot.”

Rachel tears her gaze away from Quinn to look at Jal. “What will my role be?”

“Hmm, maybe like a Location Consultant?” Jal says. “Oh, or you can be in Craft Services. These cookies are amazing,” he adds through a mouthful of said cookies.

Rachel looks back at Quinn, her eyes wide. “Craft Services sounds cool,” she says in genuine interest.

Quinn smiles at how cute Rachel looks with those excited brown eyes directed at her. “Yes, that won’t confuse people at all,” she says sardonically. “Rachel Berry, Broadway darling, Drama Desk and Tony winner, listed in the Craft Services of some indie movie.”

Rachel gives her arm a light and playful pinch. “It’s not just some movie. It’s _your_ movie, and it’s going to be amazing.”

“I agree,” Jal interjects.

“And it’ll be nice thing to add to my resume,” Rachel continues. “Pad it a bit.”

Quinn grins at Rachel’s obvious joking. “You don’t need this gig to show off your multiple talents, baby,” she says. She already knows that she’ll put Rachel in the _Special Thanks_ section of the movie credits.

“Oh, I’ll show you my multiple talents later, baby,” Rachel replies suggestively.

Laughter suddenly erupts around them, and Quinn realizes that the people sitting near them are actually listening in on their conversation.

Quinn glares at those who are laughing even as she tries not to blush. “Hey, I’m still in charge of this production,” she tells them. “I can cut your breaks short.”

The laughter dies down by degrees, and Quinn turns back to Rachel, who’s wearing an adorable grin.

“Bossy,” Rachel accuses her playfully in a low whisper.

“Have you heard that saying about the pot and kettle?” Quinn whispers back.

“Nope. How does it go?” Rachel asks lightly as she takes Quinn’s hand.

“I can’t say exactly, but I think it applies in this situation,” Quinn replies, intertwining their fingers together.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Rachel says in mock confusion.

Quinn starts to reply, but she’s cut short when Jal’s assistant calls out that break is almost over.

Quinn lets out a small sigh as she stands up. “We’ll be done for the day after this last scene, ‘kay,” she tells Rachel. “Are you still good here? You’re not bored?”

“I’m alright, baby,” Rachel reassures her. “Irene’s here to keep me company,” she motions to the woman in question, who smiles kindly at them.

“I’ve been picking Rachel’s brain out about _Havisham_ ,” Irene says.

“We were talking about the levels of narrative in the story,” Rachel explains, “and how that’s reflected in the rhythm and melody of the songs.”

Quinn takes in Rachel’s serious expression, then she starts to smirk. “Nerdy,” she says, playfully pinching Rachel on the side.

Rachel giggles, squirming away from her. “Have you heard that saying about the pot and kettle?”

Quinn chuckles at Rachel’s comeback. She really wants to kiss her at that moment, but she’s in the middle of a shoot and she doesn’t want to come across as unprofessional to her colleagues. Instead, she settles for squeezing Rachel’s hand before heading back to the train car to do their last shoot of the day.

The sun is low on the horizon by the time shooting wraps up. The actors are the first to leave while some of the crew stay behind to bring the props and equipment to the small outhouse. Quinn is usually the last one to leave along with Jal, but she doesn’t like making Rachel wait, so she always leaves earlier on Mondays when Rachel is around.

Quinn calls up an Uber on her phone, not wanting to subject Rachel to terrible taxi drivers or have Rachel sneakily pay for their ride before Quinn can even get her purse. Rachel starts gathering things into her overnight bag while they wait. Quinn just looks on, charmed, as Rachel carefully returns the cookie container into her bag and makes sure that it’s arranged properly inside.

“Ready to go, Rach?” Quinn asks, shouldering her own bag, when she sees that their car will be arriving soon.

Rachel smiles up at Quinn from where she’s sitting and gives a nod. They bid goodbye to Irene, Jal, and the remaining crew then start heading out together.

“I’m sorry you had to wait,” Quinn says as they walk hand in hand towards the gate.

“Baby, you know I don’t mind,” Rachel replies automatically.

“Still,” says Quinn. “It sucks that our Mondays have to be taken up with filming now.”

“I know right, why can’t everyone else have normal days off?” Rachel says in mock exasperation, dramatically raising her free hand.

Quinn giggles at her antics.

Rachel grins and bumps deliberately into Quinn’s side. “I like watching you in your element,” she says. “And I’m learning a lot more about how much work filmmaking takes. When I was doing my guest spot on _DestiNY_ , all I did was enter the set, do my lines, then leave the set.”

They’re at the gate. Rachel moves to open the latch but Quinn stops her. Quinn glances back at the others to make sure that no one is looking in their direction. Satisfied, Quinn pulls Rachel closer by their connected hands, then she bends down and captures Rachel’s soft pink lips in her own.

“I didn’t get to kiss you hello earlier,” Quinn explains when they break the kiss. They were already in the middle of shooting when Rachel arrived, so Quinn was regrettably deprived of that privilege.

Rachel’s eyes are bright as she looks up at Quinn. “Well, hello,” she says, pulling Quinn back down for another kiss.

Quinn smiles into the kiss, licking her lips when they break apart, tasting the lingering taste of Rachel’s on them. They share soft smiles and, still hand in hand, head out through the gate together.

The Uber is already waiting by the curb when they get outside. They have to let go of each other’s hand as they enter the car, with Rachel climbing in first and Quinn getting in after her.

Rachel’s short skirt hikes up as she settles on her seat, exposing the smooth skin of her thighs. Quinn debates putting her hand on Rachel’s thigh, but she flicks her eyes to the Uber driver and thinks better of it. She can’t discount the possibility of the driver knowing who Rachel is -- Quinn herself is not famous enough to be recognized on the streets -- and groping Rachel in the back of a stranger’s car probably won’t help in their admittedly minimal effort not to broadcast their relationship to the public. Quinn settles for retaking Rachel’s hand instead, pulling it possessively over her lap as the car starts for their destination, Quinn and Santana’s apartment, which is closer to the set than Rachel’s rented condo unit.

“So what have you learned so far?” Quinn asks Rachel lightly, continuing their conversation.

“Oh, let’s see,” Rachel says, bringing her free hand up to her chin, pretending to think. “That sunlight is very important, that setting up cameras can get complicated, and that planning shooting schedules can be a bit of a headache. Oh and that you’re hot when you’re ordering people around,” she adds unabashedly, smirking.

Quinn chuckles even as she glances at the driver, who doesn’t seem to be listening to them. “You think so?” she asks, running a finger lightly around Rachel’s open palm.

Rachel’s eyes start fluttering. “Uh-huh,” she says. “I’ll probably botch my lines if you’re the one telling me what to do. Or if I’m the one acting opposite you.”

“Now, you’re just being silly,” Quinn says as she continues to play with Rachel’s hand.

Rachel is the consummate professional and Quinn knows she won’t allow herself to get distracted when she’s working. Quinn idly wonders about what it would be like to work with Rachel. She thinks she might like it, love it even, though she suspects that her own professionalism would be challenged if she gets to watch Rachel bringing a character to life up close.

“Are you trying to tell my fortune?” Rachel asks lightly, interrupting Quinn’s imaginings of getting to work with her.

Quinn looks at Rachel’s smirking face, then down at her own lap, realizing that she’s now running a finger up and down Rachel’s palm. Quinn gazes back at Rachel, returning her smirk. She hums her agreement as she starts tracing the lines of Rachel’s palm.

“Yes,” she begins. “I can see a nice avocado pasta with cherry tomatoes in your immediate future.”

Rachel giggles. “Is that what we’re having for dinner?”

“Yeah. Does that sound good to you?”

With their schedules and their attempts to be discreet with their relationship, Quinn and Rachel haven’t been able to go out on dates too much. That doesn’t stop them from staying over the other’s apartment and having their dates over home-cooked meals. They usually had their dinner dates at Rachel’s rented condo, but Santana is pulling overtime at her work, so they’ll have the apartment in Brooklyn to themselves for most of the night.

“It sounds delicious,” Rachel says.

Quinn’s not done predicting Rachel’s future. “And then, after, we’ll have some wine while we continue watching _DestiNY_.”

Rachel has been a fan of the New York-based sitcom from its inception since Kurt was and still is the TV show’s costume designer. Quinn started watching the show when Rachel landed a guest spot in it, only checking out the episodes Rachel was in, but she found herself enjoying the show and went on to watch the other episodes. Now, Rachel insists that they watch new episodes together. Quinn loves it, loves the way Rachel giggles at the jokes or sings along to the guest artists playing music at the end of some episodes.

“Or you can continue reading _Emma_ to me,” Rachel suggests.

Rachel hasn’t been able to finish the novel. She’s had a very busy few months, so Quinn can’t really blame her. A couple of weeks ago Rachel asked Quinn to read the book to her, claiming a headache and saying that she can’t possibly read the book’s small letters through the throbbing in her head. Quinn doubts the veracity of the headache claim, especially since Rachel was able to continue on with more rigorous bedroom activities just fine after Quinn read a few chapters of the book. Still, Quinn isn’t about to complain. She _enjoys_ those bedroom activities they always end up doing. That doesn’t mean she won’t tease Rachel given the chance.

“Or I can read to you,” Quinn agrees. “And then we’ll go to sleep.”

“You’re not a very good fortune-teller,” Rachel says, giving a mock-pout as she tries to pull her hand from Quinn’s grasp.

Quinn doesn’t let her. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” she says with a grin, holding on tightly to Rachel’s hand. “So in your future, I can see… your name in the Drama Desk nominees list.”

Rachel’s pretend pout turns up into a smile, even though Quinn can see that she’s clearly doing her best to fight it. The Drama Desk nominations will be announced later in the week, and Quinn just knows that Rachel will get the nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her role as Cher Horowitz in _Clueless_.

“Now _you’re_ being silly,” Rachel says.

“No I’m not,” Quinn defends. “I know that for a _fact_ , Rach. And I know you know that as well. You’ve been really amazing,” Quinn breathes out, remembering Rachel’s performances.

“Quinn,” Rachel whines. “You know I’m trying not to get my hopes up. I know I’ve done great, but _Clueless_ is so new and I’m up against really amazing actresses, both Off-Broadway and _in Broadway_. I’ve learned long ago that a healthy bit of doubt isn’t a bad thing.”

“Baby,” Quinn says, her tone softening.

She knows why Rachel, who was so sure of her own rise to stardom when they were in high school, is talking about having a ‘healthy bit of doubt’ now. Rachel’s had her fair share of setbacks, but Quinn knows all about doubt. Quinn has doubted herself, her God, her family, her friends, everything really. But she’s never doubted Rachel, not her heart nor her ability to shine the brightest. Rachel’s the one thing Quinn has never doubted in her life.

“I know all about doubt,” Quinn tells Rachel. “You getting -- and winning -- that nomination is something I’ll never start doubting.”

Rachel stares up at Quinn for a moment, then she turns her hand so that she’s grasping Quinn’s. “You’re so sweet,” she says with a smile.

As she meets Rachel’s gaze, Quinn is struck, once again, with the realization that she’s never met someone with eyes as warm and bright as Rachel’s. She’s been halfway around the world, met and been with a lot of other women, but she’s never met a woman whose eyes she wants to drown in as much as she does Rachel’s.

Quinn really wishes she can kiss Rachel right now, but they’re still in the backseat of a stranger’s car, so she clears her throat and lets the heavy moment pass. “I’m just stating facts, baby,” she says. “And your nomination will be a good thing for _Clueless_ ,” she adds, her tone matter of fact. “It means more publicity for the show.”

Rachel seems to recognize Quinn’s attempt to dispel the seriousness of the moment. She smiles, pulling their joined hands to her lap. “Look at you,” she begins playfully. “Talking about publicity. I distinctly remember you complaining in more than one of our Skype calls whenever you have to do interviews with ‘repetitive questions’. It was kind of cute,” she adds.

Rachel isn’t wrong. It isn’t that Quinn hates publicity events, but she only tolerates them and she’s spent a few Skype calls with Rachel complaining to her about it. Rachel loves doing interviews, but for some reason she always humors Quinn’s complaints about them.

“Ugh, I have to think about them now that I’m leading the movie’s production instead of just acting in it,” Quinn says, her brows furrowing. “Irene coming here and making me do an interview about _On Track_ isn’t helping. Wait,” she says as Rachel’s last sentence registers. “You thought I was _cute_?”

Rachel giggles. “You’re cute when you’re being grumpy,” she tells Quinn with a wide smile. She giggles again when Quinn tries and fails to come up with a reply. “And you’re not fooling me. I know that among all your projects, you love filming _On Track_ the most because apart from the fact that it’s _your_ story, you’re also the one leading the production, publicity and scheduling and all.”

Well, Rachel is right about _On Track_ being Quinn’s favorite project, but she’s missing one very important reason. “I love filming _On Track_ the most because we’re doing it in New York, with you here,” she tells Rachel honestly. She flicks another glance at the driver, sees that he’s focused on the road ahead, then turns her hand so she’s caressing Rachel’s thigh. “I love being here with you. I love you,” she adds in a low whisper that only Rachel can hear.

When she decided to film her movie in New York, she honestly never expected that she can admit those words to Rachel without fearing that it will permanently damage their friendship. When she decided to come New York, all she was thinking of was that she really missed Rachel, and that even though it hurts, she can’t not be around when Rachel takes an important step in her life by marrying Jesse St. James.

Since she was able to see Beth without breaking down in tears at the fact that her biological daughter considers another woman her mom, Quinn wrongly assumed that she could bear seeing Rachel start a future with someone else. In hindsight, she knows it was a completely ridiculous and illogical comparison. As much as she loved them both so dearly, there’s a distinct difference between the child she gave up at sixteen and the woman with whom she never stopped dreaming of sharing her future.

So in a turn of events that probably surprised no one, Quinn broke down in front of Rachel, unable to take the fact that she has once again promised her future to someone else. But in a move that surprised Quinn the most, Rachel sought her out, picked her back up and chose her. Quinn still can’t believe it sometimes. After everything she’s done, she doesn’t know why Rachel even gave her a chance, but she’ll be damned if she’ll ever take it for granted. When Quinn came to New York, she thought that she would only stay in the city until the filming for her movie ends. Now she can’t imagine going somewhere else, can’t imagine being away from Rachel.

Rachel covers Quinn’s hand on her lap with her own. “I love you too, baby,” she whispers back, leaning over to give Quinn a kiss on the cheek.

Quinn feels warmth radiate from her heart at Rachel’s words. She follows as Rachel sits back, dropping a kiss on Rachel’s forehead and breathing in the apple-flavored scent of her shampoo. When she pulls back, Quinn turns her hand over and intertwines her fingers with Rachel’s, bringing Rachel’s hand up to her lips to press a kiss to her knuckles.

“What did you do before dropping by on set?” Quinn asks, remembering the Uber driver and steering them to a topic of conversation that won’t end with Rachel’s publicist getting a conniption. The man has had enough of it after those pictures of them on opening night started surfacing on Rachel’s castmates’ Instagram accounts. “Did you get to have lunch with Kurt?”

Rachel launches into a description of her day and Quinn listens attentively as she talks about lunch with Kurt and the fresh gossip that came with it, the amazing baking set that came with the condo unit she’s temporarily renting, and finding another apartment listing to add to the shortlist of places she’s considering for leasing.

Quinn thinks of her own living situation. Santana will be moving to Chicago in less than a month and Quinn has no plans of keeping the two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. She intends to stay at the place just until they film the apartment scene in her movie, but after that she wants to get a place in Manhattan. Most of their scenes will be done there once they move to on-location shooting, but mostly she just wants to live closer to Rachel. She considers asking Rachel about the apartment listings she’s rejected, thinking that she might like some of them, but she puts it off for the time being in favor of listening to Rachel go off on a tangent about furniture prices. Her cute ramblings always wash away the exhaustion of Quinn’s day.

It’s rush hour and they’re going slowly, but they eventually arrive at Quinn and Santana’s apartment. Quinn drops her bag on the couch and starts for the kitchen the moment they’re inside, but Rachel pulls her back by the hand. Quinn willingly shuffles backwards and when she turns around her lips are immediately met by Rachel’s.

“That’s a ‘baby, I’m home’ kiss,” Rachel whispers into Quinn’s lips.

“But we both got here together,” Quinn points out with a smile, her lips only an inch away from Rachel’s.

“Then we must double our efforts,” Rachel replies, snaking a hand up to the back of Quinn’s head and pulling her closer.

They kiss slowly and languidly, all soft lips and pliant tongue and gentle hands in tangled hair. They kiss for several long moments, safe in the knowledge that they’re away from prying eyes, but eventually Quinn has to pull back.

“I have to make dinner,” Quinn says, though she’s not making any moves to follow through with her statement.

“Okay,” Rachel says lazily, standing on tiptoes and capturing Quinn’s lips in another long kiss. “Will you put on your glasses first?” Rachel asks when they pull apart.

Quinn giggles. Rachel has a serious fixation with her glasses, but Quinn’s not about to deny her. “Sure,” she agrees easily.

Rachel lets her go without further protest. Quinn goes into her bedroom, depositing both hers and Rachel’s bags on a chair before taking out her contacts and putting on her glasses. When she comes back out, tying her hair into a loose ponytail, she sees that Rachel has connected her phone to the speaker and is playing music from what Quinn now recognizes as her _“Q+R Date Night”_ playlist. Rachel gives her a wide smile and Quinn automatically returns it as she crosses the short distance to the kitchen.

Rachel joins her and gamely asks, “What should I do?”

Quinn drops a kiss on Rachel’s forehead then tells her to start slicing the cherry tomatoes in halves. Rachel immediately takes to the task given to her while Quinn prepares the pasta for boiling.

Quinn loves making dinner with Rachel. Sure, she always slices things a little unevenly, like she’s now doing with the tomatoes, but she’s always so eager with what she’s doing and she even bursts out into song from time to time, which Quinn very much enjoys. Not to mention--

“Ugh, you’re so hot when you’re making dinner,” Rachel lets out with a slight groan as Quinn starts on the avocado sauce.

Quinn looks up at Rachel. She’s only sliced four tomatoes. “Focus, Rachel,” she says pointedly. “And _you’re_ adorable,” she adds coyly.

Rachel huffs and stomps her foot. “I’m not adorable,” she protests.

“Yeah, you’re really making quite the case for yourself there,” Quinn returns, smirking. “And please be careful with that knife.”

They banter back and forth as they continue preparing dinner. Quinn gets thoroughly distracted when Rachel swipes some of the avocado sauce and licks it off her fingers. Thankfully, the pasta was already boiled and has been set aside at that point, so no lasting damage is done as Rachel shows Quinn how hot _she_ can get when preparing a meal.

As their night progresses over dinner and wine and light banter, Quinn starts thinking that she’ll always want to end each day like this, in the sanctuary of Rachel’s gentle smile and warm bright eyes. Maybe it’s reckless, imagining the future with the expectation that Rachel will always be there now, but Rachel has always made her feel safe enough to take a leap.

Quinn’s heart has been deeply entrenched in Rachel for years, she can’t help how it’s now greatly invested in the idea of sharing a life with her. She has long dreamed of getting swept up in Rachel, so she lets the tide of Rachel’s love and desire sweep over her.

It feels like she’s been underwater for so long, and now, for the first time, she’s breathing.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**Rachel**

She makes her way to her dressing room, managing, just barely, to walk instead of skip to her destination.

It’s a difficult feat.

The Drama Desk Awards nominations were released earlier that day, with Rachel in the running for the Outstanding Actress in a Musical and Outstanding Solo Performance awards. Her co-stars garnered nominations as well, and _Clueless_ itself was nominated for several awards, the Outstanding Musical award being one of them. On top of that, one of the show’s producers gathered the cast and crew backstage and told them several pieces of good news. First, _Clueless_ tickets have sold out again and the show’s run was given another extension. Second, with the sold out crowd and the added publicity of the Drama Desk nominations, it’s looking very likely now that _Clueless_ will go to Broadway.

Rachel doesn’t think the night can get any better. At least not until she gets back to her rented condo where she knows Quinn is waiting for her.

She’s proven wrong upon entering her dressing room.

Quinn is already waiting for her inside, sitting on the small couch at the corner and flipping through the latest issue of _Playbill_. She’s wearing a patterned, short-sleeved dress, cinched at the waist. The way she’s sitting, back straight and legs crossed, as she reads the magazine with a look of casual interest in her beautiful face, makes Rachel think of models in fashion catalogs. Of course, none of those models are quite as beautiful as Quinn.

Quinn looks up at the sound of the door opening and gives Rachel a smile.

“Quinn!” Rachel exclaims, this time unable to stop herself from skipping as she crosses the room to her girlfriend.

Quinn stands up just in time for Rachel to throw her arms around her. Rachel brings her hands to the back of Quinn’s neck and pulls her closer for a kiss.

“I thought you’ll be waiting at the condo,” Rachel asks in lieu of a greeting as she leans back to look properly at Quinn’s face.

Quinn brings a hand up to Rachel’s hair and tucks a stray strand behind her ear. She steals another kiss, quicker this time, before answering.

“I couldn’t wait to see you,” Quinn says. “I wanted to congratulate you in person as soon as possible.”

Quinn was at work filming her movie when the Drama Desk nominations were announced earlier that morning, but she actually called Rachel and congratulated her through the phone the moment Rachel’s name was revealed. Quinn wanting to see her as soon as possible makes Rachel’s stomach all fluttery.

“I’m glad you came here,” Rachel whispers into Quinn’s lips as she kisses her again. “I have more good news,” she tells Quinn when they break the kiss.

Quinn smiles at her. “Yeah?”

“ _Clueless_ tickets have sold out again and we’re getting another month’s extension,” Rachel says with a big grin. “ _And_ Amy and the other producers think we can move to Broadway after that. They’re already looking into theaters and figuring out a schedule.”

Quinn’s smile widens to mirror Rachel’s. “That’s great, Rach,” she says proudly. “I told you, didn’t I?” she adds, running her hands up and down Rachel’s arms. “About Broadway. Like I told you about your Drama Desk nomination.”

Rachel bites her lip to keep her grin from splitting her face. When _Clueless_ was still in rehearsals she was unsure about the musical going to Broadway considering how long it took for the show to get off the workshop stage, but Quinn kept telling Rachel that Broadway is a sure thing as soon as the theatergoing audience sees the show with her in the lead. Over the course of her career, Rachel has learned to temper her expectations, but Quinn has never wavered in her belief in what Rachel could achieve.

“I really should consider a career in fortune-telling,” Quinn muses.

Rachel playfully slaps Quinn’s shoulder. “You’re so silly sometimes,” she says as she pulls away to start changing out of her pink bridesmaid’s costume.

“Am not,” Quinn says as she sinks back down on the couch while Rachel moves to sit in front of the dressing table.

“Are too,” Rachel shoots back, taking off her heels and reaching over to put them under the clothes rack.

“D2.”

Rachel snorts and shakes her head as she takes off her jacket. “Case in point,” she says with a dramatic wave in Quinn’s direction. The fact that Quinn is a bit of a dork is something that Rachel has known for years now. She’s spent countless Skype calls with Quinn laughing over her spontaneous nerdy jokes.

Quinn just shrugs, giving Rachel that wide mischievous smile that says she’s fully owning her silliness.

“Tell me more about Broadway,” Quinn says as Rachel turns back to her dressing table to start wiping off her stage makeup. “Do you know which theaters your producers are looking at?”

They already talked at great length about the Drama Desk nomination when Quinn called earlier. Rachel has one more thing to bring up about her nomination, specifically the award ceremony, but she doesn’t want to do it while she’s wiping makeup off her face. So Rachel answers Quinn’s question, then proceeds to ask one of her own about how the filming for Quinn’s movie went that day. When Quinn called Rachel earlier, she actually put her phone on speaker for a few minutes and had her colleagues congratulate Rachel for her nomination.

Rachel loves that they get to share about their day to each other now. She has always believed that Quinn would be amazing at anything she’d set her mind to. Quinn has proven her right time and time again, but Rachel never got to witness it in person and on a daily basis. When Quinn was in Europe, she used to be so irrationally envious of anyone who got to have that privilege, mostly of Quinn’s ex-girlfriends but even of her friends and colleagues. They had their emails and Skype calls, but the twice-monthly catch-up sessions over a long-distance connection in different timezones pale in comparison to having Quinn in New York, with Rachel getting to see her and how amazing she is everyday.

Of course, while Quinn told Rachel that she came to New York for her, Quinn’s future projects could mean that she needs to go somewhere else. When it comes to that, Rachel won’t want to hold Quinn back. They can do long distance or Rachel can go with her, but they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. For now, Rachel just loves being able to clearly hear the inflections of Quinn’s voice or discern the varying shades of her hazel eyes as they talk.

Right at that moment, Quinn’s voice falters while her eyes darken as Rachel moves on from wiping out her makeup to taking off her dress. Rachel lets her watch, relishing the feeling of Quinn’s heavy gaze on her. Part of her wants to give in to the desire in Quinn’s eyes, but she has something important to ask of her, so Rachel quickly gets into her street clothes.

After she’s finished changing, Rachel steps up to Quinn on the couch. She sits beside her and grabs one of Quinn’s hands in both of hers, pulling it on top of her lap.

Quinn gives her a questioning look.

Rachel gazes back, smiling. “Be my date to the Drama Desk Awards?” she asks.

Quinn’s eyebrow raises by a fraction. “Are you sure, Rach?” she asks. “That won’t exactly be keeping our relationship low key.”

They already talked about how much of their relationship to reveal to the public. While neither of them are really concerned about “coming out”, Rachel’s publicist still advised them not to be too obvious about their relationship since she just broke off an engagement with Jesse. But that was almost two months ago, and the Drama Desk Awards ceremony is still a month from now. She thinks they’ve given it enough time.

“I’m sure,” Rachel says. Besides, “The Drama Desk Awards ceremony is nowhere near as big as the Tony’s, not a lot of people will know about it. And I’ve always brought Kurt as my date before, I’m sure that people won’t immediately start assuming we’re together just because you’re my date to the awards,” Rachel says reasonably. “And even if they did,” Rachel squeezes Quinn’s hand as she gazes up to meet attentive hazel eyes, “I don’t care. You’ve always been my biggest supporter. And I’ve always wanted you by my side during these award ceremonies. I wanted, _so much_ , for you to be there when I was receiving all those awards for _Havisham_. I don’t want to miss out on it now just because we don’t want to broadcast our relationship.”

Quinn gives Rachel an adoring look, then a moment later she’s being pulled towards Quinn, her lips captured in a long and tender kiss that soothes any insecurities she might have about Quinn not agreeing with her.

“Is that a yes?” Rachel asks when they pull apart, tucking a stray strand of Quinn’s hair behind her ear.

“It’s a definite yes,” Quinn says with a grin as she takes Rachel’s hand in hers. “Your publicist might have an apoplexy when he finds out, but yes, I will be your date to the awards ceremony.”

“I don’t care what he thinks,” Rachel says. “I just want you there with me.”

“And it will be my honor to be there with you,” Quinn replies, her smile softening.

Rachel returns her smile, and they stare at each other happily, content to bask in each other’s gaze. It’s several minutes before Quinn breaks their happy silence.

“I want to take you out to celebrate,” Quinn begins, “but--”

“I’d rather you just take me home,” Rachel finishes, her smile turning mischievous as she intertwines the fingers of their joined hands.

“I knew you were going to say that,” Quinn says.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Rachel says, standing up from the couch. “Let’s go?”

Rachel pulls Quinn up from the couch, giggling when Quinn playfully stumbles against her. Quinn picks up both their bags from the nearby table and slings hers onto her shoulder while holding out Rachel’s to her. Rachel flashes her a grateful smile, taking her bag in one hand and Quinn’s hand in the other.

Hand in hand, they head out of the dressing room, where they promptly run into Charlie Fielding, who’s playing the lead male role in _Clueless_.

Charlie smiles warmly at Rachel then looks at Quinn. “Oh, hi Quinn,” he greets amiably.

“Charlie,” Quinn replies with a small smile and a nod. “Congratulations on the Drama Desk nomination,” she says politely.

Rachel has already introduced them during the opening night for _Clueless_. She knows that Quinn doesn’t really think anything of him other than the fact that he’s a good singer and that he’s Rachel’s current leading man.

“Thanks,” Charlie says with a grin. “Has Rachel told you the news?” he asks as they start walking through the hallway, directing his question at Quinn. “About our extended run and Broadway?”

“Of course I have, Charlie,” Rachel says, trying not to get offended. Like she can ever keep news like that from Quinn.

“Yeah,” Quinn replies, more calmly than Rachel. She catches Rachel’s eyes, smiling. “It’s not a surprise, with Rachel in the lead.”

Rachel beams at Quinn, but she’s prevented from making a reply by someone barreling into her.

“Rachel!” Alyssa Vincent, who plays her best friend in the musical, shouts loudly into Rachel’s ear as she bounces up and down with her arms around Rachel’s neck. “We’re going to Broadway!” she exclaims when she finally steps back. Alyssa was actually right beside Rachel when they were informed about it, but Rachel understands the compulsion to shout out that particular bit of news whenever the chance arises.

Alyssa turns to Quinn and greets her with an enthusiastic, “Hi, Quinn!”

“Hi,” Quinn replies, looking slightly alarmed.

Rachel knows it’s because Quinn keeps thinking that Alyssa would hug her too. She hasn’t quite gotten over the shock of receiving a tight hug from someone she’s just met when Rachel introduced them during opening night.

“Rachel didn’t say you’d be here,” Alyssa says. “She usually can’t help herself.”

Everyone in the _Clueless_ production already knows that Quinn is Rachel’s girlfriend. Rachel’s publicist might have warned them not to broadcast their relationship to the public, but Rachel knows -- or at least hopes -- that she can trust her show’s cast and crew. Besides, Alyssa’s right, Rachel can’t help but brag about her smart and beautiful girlfriend whenever Quinn comes by to visit.

“She surprised me,” Rachel tells Alyssa. “She wanted to congratulate me about the Drama Desk nomination as soon as possible,” she says honestly as she smiles up at Quinn.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” Alyssa says, prompting a slight flush to creep up Quinn’s neck, just below her ears.

“Hey, I’m heading out now,” Charlie pipes up, motioning at the door that leads out to the streets. “You ladies staying here longer or…?”

“I’ll head out with you,” Alyssa says. “How about you Rachel, Quinn?”

Rachel looks to Quinn. They know fans are waiting outside the stage door, hoping to get pictures and autographs. Just because they’re not very vigilant about keeping their relationship from the public doesn’t mean they want to invite unnecessary scrutiny into their private lives by people who are already very interested in Rachel’s alone.

“Go with them, Rach,” Quinn says, rubbing her thumb over Rachel’s. “I know you want to greet your fans. I’ll head out this way,” she adds, pointing at another door, which leads to the theater’s lobby and to the building’s main entrance.

Rachel starts to pout. She does want to greet her fans, but she’s not happy about having to make Quinn wait somewhere else while she does so.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Quinn tells her reassuringly. “I’ll wait for you at Grounders,” she says, meaning the coffee shop just around the corner from the theater building.

“If you’re sure?” Rachel asks.

“Of course,” says Quinn. “Just… don’t walk on your way there ‘kay? Take the car and text me when you’re outside,” she adds, meaning the chauffeured car that Rachel’s manager contracted from a car service company to take her to and from the theater.

Rachel furrows her brows. “It’s less than a block away,” she says. She can just as easily walk to the cafe and have the car wait for them near there.

“I know, but you got the car to avoid fans chasing after you down the street,” Quinn reminds her.

Quinn has a point. Rachel used to just walk or take a cab from the theater. It wasn’t a problem before _Havisham_ , and even during the first year of performing on _Havisham_ she had Jesse accompanying her. Then she won a Tony and Jesse’s contract with _Havisham_ ended, and Rachel’s complacency resulted in her being chased down the street by a couple of overeager fans who’d been waiting at the stage door but didn’t get to have her autograph.

“You’re right,” Rachel sighs. “Okay.”

Quinn grins. “What was that again? I’m right?”

“Shut up,” Rachel slaps her lightly on the arm. “You know I always admit when you’re right.”

It’s probably a reaction to their younger years, to all the good advice Quinn gave her that she didn’t take, but Quinn might just be the only person that Rachel has no problems conceding a point to. Unless they’re playing competitive games.

Quinn’s smile widens. She kisses Rachel on the cheek and whispers, “See you, baby,” before walking away, giving a small wave to Alyssa and Charlie.

Rachel doesn’t let Quinn’s hand go until she absolutely has to, then she stares at Quinn’s retreating form until Quinn closes the lobby door behind her. When she turns back to her castmates, Alyssa is smiling while Charlie is smirking at her.

“What?” she asks self-consciously.

“Nothing,” Charlie says, still smirking. He hooks his arm and offers it to Rachel. “Shall we?” he asks half-jokingly, nodding towards the stage door.

Rachel pushes his arm away. “No, thank you,” she says, knowing how some fans would think they’re together if she’s seen clinging to him. It’s ridiculous, how most people jump to conclusions about her and any man she’s seen talking to, yet haven’t realized that she’s with Quinn when she knows that they already have at least one picture out there where they’re holding hands. It would annoy her, but people’s “hetero-blinders”, as Santana calls it, affords her and Quinn some privacy so that at least is a consolation.

“I’ve had enough of showmance,” Rachel adds, thinking of _Havisham_ and Jesse.

He started pursuing her when they were doing workshop for the musical. She was still trying to come to terms with the fact that Quinn was dating a woman -- _who wasn’t her_ \-- all the way over in Europe. It took almost a year but she eventually gave in to him when they were already in rehearsals. He has always been so full of himself but he’s such a gentle and untroubled soul that she couldn’t help but feel safe with him. And maybe he was neglectful in the everyday things but he always came through in the big moments. She really did love him, but she can’t deny that their romance was partly fueled by the glamour of Broadway. She let herself get carried away by it and she only ended up hurting him.

“Ignore him, Rachel,” Alyssa says, grabbing her by the elbow. “Let’s go.”

With Charlie right behind them, Alyssa leads them out to the streets where the fans are waiting. The three of them disperse, greeting the fans and giving them the pictures or autographs they’re clamoring for.

Normally, Rachel enjoys interacting with her fans. Most of them are really respectful, and they always shower her with compliments. Right now, however, Rachel just wants to go be with Quinn. Alyssa and Charlie seem to sense her impatience because they both volunteer to “hold things down” for her. Rachel is only too eager to accept their offer, and she waves goodbye to her castmates and the fans as she separates from the crowd.

The chauffeured car is waiting for Rachel nearby. She gets in and tells the driver they need to stop by Grounders, then she texts Quinn to let her know she’s coming by.

Quinn is already waiting at the sidewalk in front of the cafe when they get there. She’s holding a cup of hot beverage in each hand so Rachel pushes the car door open for her. Quinn slides in and hands one of the cups to Rachel.

Rachel breathes in the aroma of the fragrant jasmine tea and takes a sip. “Thanks, baby,” she says to Quinn, who responds with a smile.

After telling the driver that they can head directly for her rented condo, Rachel turns back to Quinn and eyes her cup. “Is that hot chocolate?” she asks, knowing that Quinn usually gets non-caffeinated beverages in the evening.

“Yeah,” Quinn replies. “Pure cocoa, no milk, two sugars,” she recites. “Want some?”

Rachel usually sticks to green or herbal tea after performances, not wanting to strain her vocal chords, but that doesn’t mean she can’t take a small sip of some heavier or sweeter drink. So she nods eagerly, glad that Quinn got a vegan-friendly drink for herself.

Quinn hands her the hot chocolate and Rachel takes a sip with Quinn’s knowing smile directed at her. She hands the cup back to Quinn then leans forward to press a kiss on those smug lips.

“It tastes better on your lips,” Rachel whispers.

Quinn chuckles. “Charmer,” she accuses playfully.

“Are you charmed then?” Rachel asks, looking up at Quinn through her lashes.

“We’ll see,” Quinn replies, earning a pinch to the arm from Rachel. She giggles then places a hand on Rachel’s thigh, caressing it soothingly to make up for her comment.

Rachel leans her head against Quinn’s shoulder, and they spend the rest of the ride to her condo in comfortable silence.

The condo actually belongs to a couple that Kurt knows. Rachel is temporarily renting the place from them but she knows that she’ll have to get an actual apartment soon. The fast and loose agreement between herself and the owners is convenient for now, but it’s much more expensive than leasing an apartment. Rachel has already compiled apartment listings around Manhattan and has narrowed it down to a shortlist of those she and Quinn loved. She’s made sure to consider Quinn’s preferences, knowing that Quinn will be staying over at her would-be apartment quite often. Rachel won’t want it any other way.

Shortly, they arrive at the condo. They take the elevator to Rachel’s rented unit, Quinn trailing behind Rachel when they get inside.

Rachel’s only warning is the soft ‘thump’ of Quinn’s empty cup on the counter, then she feels strong hands on her hips and she’s lifted a few inches off the floor.

Rachel shrieks in surprise, quickly turning around when Quinn puts her down.

“You jerk!” she exclaims, slapping Quinn lightly on the arm.

“Sorry, baby,” Quinn says, her apology belied by the mischievous grin she’s wearing. Rachel pouts at her, but that only makes her grin wider. “Dance with me,” she says charmingly, trailing her fingers down Rachel’s arm and ending the motion with a light grip of her hand.

Rachel immediately forgets her mock annoyance, and she returns Quinn’s grin with her own wide smile. Quinn pulls her by the hand and Rachel complies easily, molding her body against Quinn’s as Quinn wraps her arms around Rachel’s waist. Rachel rests her head against Quinn’s shoulder and starts humming a quiet tune as Quinn sways them around the floor.

They stay like that for several minutes, swaying lightly together to a made-up tune that vibrates between their chests. Rachel burrows her head further into Quinn’s neck and breathes in the flowery fragrance of her perfume, mixed with that soft scent that is uniquely Quinn’s.

When Rachel pulls back, she cups Quinn’s face in her hands and stares up at hazel eyes that look honey-brown under the dim lighting.

“Hey,” Rachel says, running a hand through Quinn’s hair. “I love you.”

Quinn’s eyes brightens as her hands squeezes Rachel’s hips lightly. “Yeah?” she says, smiling.

Rachel just hums her acknowledgement.

Quinn just smiles wider. “I love you too,” she says.

Rachel mirrors Quinn’s wide smile at the simple declaration. It’s three short words, one short sentence, but it never fails to make her heart leap to hear it from Quinn. They’ve exchanged those words everyday since the first time they admitted it to each other, and their meaning only deepens with each passing day. She hopes -- thinks, knows -- that their meaning will only strengthen as time goes by.

She stands on tiptoes to press a kiss on Quinn’s soft lips. Quinn draws her in closer, and Rachel savors the sweetness between them even as she sinks further in the sanctuary of Quinn’s warm embrace. The kiss is playful and heavy at the same time, full of promise, not just for the night but for the future.

Rachel has gone from believing in grand romances to wanting to believe in them, but now she learns the quiet simplicity of a steadfast and abiding love. And as she pulls back to look up at Quinn’s bright smile and warm hazel eyes, she knows.

This is only the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks to everyone who gave kudos and reviews.
> 
> I had fun writing this story (even though there were times when I wanted to pull my hair out), so I hope you guys had fun reading this as well.


End file.
